


Scarlet

by arizonasnow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Alternate Universe - No War because these lil cinnamon rolls deserved so much better okay?, F/M, Minor Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Minor Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinson & Hermione Granger friendship, Pureblood Harry Potter, Pureblood Hermione Granger, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-28 04:03:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arizonasnow/pseuds/arizonasnow
Summary: Draco Malfoy has anything he could possibly want at the snap of his fingers- except for one thing: Her. His one weakness.





	1. The One He Couldn't Have

Draco Lucius Malfoy is possibly the most powerful boy at Hogwarts. Certainly the most wealthy, surrounded by fame and fortune. He's the best of the best. He has anything he could possibly want at his own leisure. Girls flock to him because of the power in just his name, but also his looks. Standing at around 6'4" with a lean but muscular build, girls want to be with him and guys want to be him. His hair always looks effortlessly neat, white-blonde locks framing his facial features. High, chiseled cheekbones and a sharp, angular jawline make him appear like he might've been sculpted by the Gods themselves. Full, light lips with upturned corners usually turn up into a smirk. Shimmering grey-green eyes that show a storm of emotions peer out at the world. Draco Malfoy definitely isn't lacking in the physical department.

Mentally, though, he's incredible. A quick mind and a sharp tongue lead to many well-thought-out insults thrown at various victims. The gears in his head are always turning. He's an outstanding student with a genius brain. Always getting great grades and craving knowledge, Draco never stops thinking. Even at home, he spends hours in Malfoy Manor's library or in his personal study, reading any book he can get his hands on. Yearning to know more and more. 

There's only one person who can beat Draco in that field, and her name is Hermione Granger.

The two met in first year before the sorting ceremony. Both purebloods, their families were familiar with each other but not close. The start was great, all until he was sorted into Slytherin and she, Gryffindor. They didn't speak after that first day, occasionally giving each other a look if they passed by in the halls. Sometimes he'd even smile, which she always returned. Of course, that was until she started hanging out with Potter.

Harry Potter was the complete opposite of Draco. The two didn't get along from the start, their families were rivals for years as well so this came as a surprise to absolutely no one. To say they hated each other would be an understatement. There were very few people he disliked more than Hermione, and Harry was one of them. The second was their dunce friend, Ron Weasley.

In the beginning, he only disliked Hermione because of her house and her friends. But when the grades started coming back, it was abundantly clear that a third reason was coming into play. She managed to best him in everything. Top student, Hermione Granger. 

He'd kept his eye on her through the years. First, she was a fair-skinned, short girl who had too much attitude for her size. A bushy, wild mane of frizz framed her face with fringe resting on her forehead just above a pair of fierce amber eyes. After their rivalry was set, he frequently threw insults at her appearance. She never seemed to care though, which bothered Draco more than anything. He hated that feeling of not even being worthy of her attention.

In third year, everything changed. Summer had done wonderful things for Hermione, the girl he used to refer to as a buck-toothed beaver with a lion's mane. Her hair fell in defined, medium-long fawn brown waves. She had grown a few inches but couldn't be taller than 5'3", shorter than the majority of girls in their year. She'd grown into her curves though and all of a sudden, the boys of Hogwarts couldn't get enough of her. The way she carried herself, so naturally with so little effort, was extremely appealing. Those same firey-amber eyes peered through long, thick eyelashes. She developed a mesmerizing stare. She still had fair skin, but the sun had blessed her with a dappling of freckles across her blemish-free face, little spots covering the high points. 

Seeing her at the Yule Ball was a game changer. She truly had all eyes on her that night, dancing with Victor Krum. Watching her walk down that staircase with an innocent smile and a radiant glow, she was undoubtedly the belle of the ball. For a split second, Draco wished he was the one twirling her while she smiled, her lips parting as she laughed. He'd attended that night with Pansy Parkinson, a friend of his. She always tried to become something more, but Draco avoided her advances like the Black Plague. Eventually they became more like siblings, laughing about her past crush on him while looking back on memories.

That night, though, Hermione had entranced him. He'd gone back to the Slytherin Dungeons and laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling while everyone else was asleep. He assessed everything. He reminded himself who he was. He was Draco Lucius Malfoy for Salazar's sake. 

After that, he hated her. Every morning, he'd walk into the Great Hall and his eyes would always manage to fall onto her, carelessly talking with her friends. Her full lips curled up into a smile. One hand running through her light brown waves. Effortless.

Draco had a tendency to want what he couldn't have- which was practically nothing. There was very little in the world that the Malfoys couldn't get if they wanted it. 

Apparently, she was one of those things.

She quickly became his weakness, consuming his thoughts and ravaging his mind. He hated thinking about her. He tried everything to distract himself- hook-ups with girls who were practically throwing themselves at him, focusing only on his studies, exercising constantly, anything to keep her out of his thoughts. Nothing worked. He began to consider his options... living miserably until whatever he felt faded or pursuing her. 

For a Malfoy to put their pride aside and try to pursue someone speaks levels... so he decided he'd give it a shot. He had to do something, he was beginning to become obsessed. At one point he thought she was part-veela, no one else had been able to capture him quite like her. But then again, no one challenged him. No one was better than him at anything... except for her. For once in his life he had competition- and he was falling for her. 

One morning, Draco walked into the Great Hall with his mind made up, only to see her sitting there, her fingers intertwined with those of none other than Ron Weasley. He felt as if his chest was swallowing him as he tore his eyes away from the scene and walked to the Slytherin table, sitting down with Pansy, Blaise, and Theo, who had become his posse. 

For the first time in his life, Draco was jealous of Ron Weasley. The red-haired idiot who was barely passing most of his classes. Somehow, he'd managed to win over Hermione's heart. Top student, stunning looks, and a pure heart. It didn't make sense. What did Ron have that Draco didn't or couldn't give her? 

He nearly drove himself crazy trying to figure it out. She never left his thoughts, always a ghost in his mind. She became a resident in his daydreams, frequently his fantasies at night as well. It was tearing him apart. 

That's when Astoria Greengrass came into play. A tall girl with long, dark brown hair and green eyes. Sharp features and an even sharper attitude were interesting to him, she always had something to say. She was two years his junior, and they met when he was in his fifth year and she was in her third. At first, she was just another girl in the pack trying to get with him. The younger sister of Daphne Greengrass, who was in his posse. One day, Daphne pulled him aside and suggested that he and Astoria get together. At first he was opposed to that idea, as he didn't really like her. After discovering Hermione with Ron, though, he reconsidered. 

Astoria and Draco started officially dating a little way into his fifth year. She wasn't exactly his type, very chittery and gossipy. She was a lot like Pansy, but she didn't have an off switch. Pansy had her own issues. Astoria just didn't stop talking. She seemed more like a fangirl than his girlfriend, always dragging him around like a dog on a leash. He didn't return a lot of her affection, unless Hermione or Ron were around. He was always sure to show physical affection when they were in view. 

His obsession with Hermione faded as the weeks went on. Things with Astoria were fine. To him, she felt more like a placeholder than a romantic partner. She just didn't have the qualities he was looking for. He needed someone he could have interesting conversations with, someone who shared his passions and yearned for more knowledge. Astoria was being tutored in most of her classes. Her only interests seemed to be gossiping and showing Draco off like a new handbag. 

Weeks turned into months. Autumn became Winter. Draco was spending more time with Astoria and less time thinking about Hermione.

Everything changed when he walked into Potions class, sat down, and ended up being partnered with none other than Hermione herself for a project. 


	2. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione's POV, leading up to that damned project.

Hermione Jean Granger is possibly the smartest person at Hogwarts. An incredibly brilliant mind that never seems to stop thinking, she's the top of her class. Her brain never has a dull moment. Everyone knows her for her intelligence and love of learning. She's the bookworm, the one who spends hours on end in the library, immersed in a book and lost in a story. A pair of sparkling amber eyes follow words on pages, going through books like they're just pieces of paper. 

She was always the odd one out, though. Nothing like the other girls she grew up with, Hermione wasn't interested in playing with dolls, doing her hair, or gossiping about which boy was cuter. She simply didn't care about any of that. She was different, to say the least.

The girls her age knew it, too. They teased her relentlessly, calling her names and mocking her. She didn't have friends growing up. No one wanted to associate themselves with the "loser bookworm", so they avoided her. It broke her heart. All she wanted was acceptance.

Eventually, Hermione gave up trying to befriend the girls around her. She did have one friend, though. Harry Potter. The two of them had grown up around each other because of their families' friendship and the two became inseparable eventually. They were as close as siblings and were more like family than friends. Harry and Hermione were a dynamic duo. 

The Grangers, however, were pretty interesting people. Pureblooded and going back centuries, they were well-known for their talented minds. Authors, poets, philosophers... The Grangers really did it all. Hermione's father, Richard, had a bit of an obsession with muggle culture. He was entertained by the way they went through their daily lives without a single bit of magic. Using machines and inventions to do all of their work for them. He was looked down upon for this, and it affected Hermione as well. Comments were thrown about on how her father would rather spend time prancing around with muggles than teaching his own daughter how to socialize, since all she seemed to do was read. 

Rumors like that were the reason Hermione decided she'd rather just have one friend than be a people pleaser. People were so cruel. Books were an escape, though. Stories weaved creative worlds in her imagination where she could escape, even if just for a few hours, the reality that she was in. She read anything she could get her hands on- muggle books that her father bought her, textbooks, manuals, poetry, anything. It was a way for her to cope.

When Hermione went to Hogwarts, things really began looking up for once. She was surrounded by other students, people who wanted to learn just like her. Or so she thought. Most kids were only there because they had to be. She didn't know anyone who shared her passion for reading or loved classes as much as she did. She became an outcast, an outsider again. She only had Harry by her side, assuring her that she didn't need those others in her life. He told her they weren't worth it.

Hermione had meet many people, but none of them stuck out quite like one boy. Before the sorting ceremony, he'd offered her his hand as a greeting. She introduced herself as Hermione Granger, a small smile on her face. She could tell he was going to be attractive when he was older. He had soft, child-like features that would sharpen with age. White-blonde hair and a lean build. What entranced her the most were his eyes- shocking grey with hints of green. He shook her hand and introduced himself as Draco Malfoy.

Of course. Draco Malfoy, heir to the ridiculously large Malfoy fortune. He was, undoubtedly, the wealthiest and most powerful person at Hogwarts. Everyone knew not to mess with the Malfoys. Lucius, Draco's father, terrified Hermione. She'd seen him in the Daily Prophet before. Something about that man oozed toxicity, but she had never met him in her life and knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Plus, Draco seemed kind. The two struck up light conversation before the ceremony started and they parted ways.

Sadly, their friendship wasn't meant to be. She was sorted into Gryffindor and he, Slytherin. House Rivalry was already tense and she figured someone like him would forget about a simpleton like her quickly. She'd been told by countless others that she was boring, so why would he remember her?

She stuck to hanging out with Harry after that. The two of them were always growing closer. People began talking, teasing Hermione again about her interests. It was like she was reliving those older childhood memories all over again, and she hated it.

Everything made her a target. She got a perfect score on a test? She'd get teased about it later. She raised her hand to ask a question in class? Someone would make a comment about that. Anything she did was used to torture her. People tore her apart about her hair, teeth, height, everything.

Eventually, the duo became a trio. Ron Weasley was a new addition to Hermione and Harry's friendship and she quickly warmed up to him. At first, things had been rough. It was clear they were polar opposites. While he was interested in quidditch, talking about his older brothers, and food, Hermione was interested in philosophy, reading, and learning. She was top of her class and he was practically at the bottom. Still, he was funny and managed to make her laugh, and had a welcoming sort of energy to him, so they got along after a little while.

That's when Draco Malfoy became a problem. She thought things were fine. He never really talked to her before except for that one time at the sorting ceremony, and she assumed he forgot she even existed. 

Nope. She was his favorite victim after that.

He picked on Harry and Ron mostly, because they were usually sticking up for themselves. It was clear that Draco's favorite form of entertainment was bringing others down and watching them try to fight back. He left her alone for a little while before the insults became targeted mostly at her.

Buck-toothed beaver. Lion's mane of hair. Bookworm. 

His voice rang in her ears after each insult passed by his lips. His sneer became stuck in her mind. He looked at her with such disgust, like she was merely dust under his shoes. She didn't understand why he was so horrible. They'd been friendly before, why was there an issue now? Was it because of her hanging out with Harry and Ron? Everyone knew that the Potters and Malfoys didn't get along, and the Malfoys hated the Weasleys with a burning passion. Hermione wasn't a Potter or a Weasley. She was just Hermione.

Somedays, Hermione forgot he was human. How could someone be so cruel and cold towards others and still have a beating heart inside of their chest? He never seemed to feel even the slightest bit of remorse for the way he treated her, or anyone for that matter. He carried himself like a prince, and that quickly became the way he was viewed. Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince.

Hermione always heard girls talking in the dorms. Draco Malfoy this, Draco Malfoy that. 'Oh, Draco's eyes are so dreamy.' 'Oh, Draco insulted my entire family line today. It was so hot.' 'Oh, Draco looked at me during Potions.' It was like no one saw what she saw. Girls worshipped the ground he walked on. They all wanted a bite of the Slytherin Prince. Hermione felt odd. She wanted nothing but an explanation for why he was so... vile.

After second year ended, she went back home. She spent most of her summer with Harry and Ron. She went to the Burrow frequently. Growing pains became a nightly occurrence.

Apparently she was the only one who didn't see just how drastically she'd changed. Instead of a frizzy mess, her hair fell into defined, light brown waves that cascaded down her neck and shoulders, ending just above her breast. Her square-like frame was replaced with feminine curves and she grew a few inches, although she was still petite. Harry and Ron became much more protective of her, and she got a lot of stares walking down the halls, mostly male attention.

She didn't care much about it. Guys never really mattered that much to her. Some girls were absolutely boy crazy, but not Hermione. She just wanted to get good grades, which seemed to baffle those around her. 

It got to the point where she could feel eyes staring at her from across the Great Hall. Every time, she'd turn around to try and figure out who it was. Only a few times did she meet the grey-green gaze of Draco Malfoy. It sent shivers down her spine.

She wasn't the only one who'd changed. Draco had grown as well, much taller than he had been in the previous years. His features were beginning to sharpen up and become more masculine and mature. His eyes were the same swirling storm that she knew from before, though. He had a bit more muscle to his build, although still lean. He looked  _good_. 

Well, of course he did. He was Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake, what did she expect? He always managed to look so refined.

The insults still came at her, but they came less often. They became softer, as well. He seemed to go after Ron the most after that. 

Speaking of, Hermione and Ron ended up getting together after the Yule Ball. She'd gone with Viktor Krum and couldn't help but feel satisfied. He'd been pretty desired that year, and she knew she surprised some people that night. She looked over and met Draco's gaze more than once. That was, perhaps, the most satisfying. Knowing she'd stunned the stunner. She felt powerful in moments like that, giving herself false hope that she had the upper hand. Of course, she didn't. Draco would never allow anything like that to happen.

Viktor went back to Durmstrang and life at Hogwarts continued. They'd sent each other letters for a little while, trying to keep whatever relationship they'd had alive, but eventually letters stopped coming, so Hermione stopped thinking about him and moved on. 

Ron wasn't actually that bad.

In her fifth-year, the two of them got together officially. They'd flirted back and forth for a while before, but nothing serious. Sure, they were opposites, but he managed to surprise her sometimes. He was cute in a goofy kind of way, always trying to make her laugh. She was relaxed around him anyways, because of their already-built friendship. Harry watched from the sidelines, teasing the two of them frequently. They were happy, though. That was all that mattered then.

Things were changing, though.

Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy were public.

She was two years younger than Hermione, with dark brown hair and pointy facial features. She had murky green eyes and lips that never stopped moving, whether she was using them to gossip about someone or snog Malfoy in front of the entire school. 

After a while, he became Malfoy.

Hermione didn't realize she'd been thinking of him as Draco for so long until she stopped. She had no reason to, he was horrible to her. Something about seeing him with Astoria made her hate both of them even more. She didn't know why there was a problem though. She was happy with Ron. He was perfect for her... at least, she thought he was. She could see a future spending time at the Burrow with the Weasley clan. She could see little red-headed children with her eyes and his nose. 

But she didn't know if she wanted it. She knew what Ron wanted, everyone knew. He wanted a replica of his mother. He wanted the Molly to his Arthur. A stay at home wife who took care of all eight kids he wanted to have and cooked for everyone.

That was the most unappealing future Hermione had ever heard of. She wanted to travel the world. She wanted to be with someone with the same kind of passion she felt. The same drive. She craved adventure and passion, a fiery romance that left her heart reeling. That wasn't Ron. Ron was sweet and soft. Ron was certain. 

She didn't want to be tied down, and Ron was standing there, holding the ropes. 

She didn't say anything, though. She didn't dare. Arguments with Ron could get ugly. He had tendencies to not think before something came out of his mouth, and the two of them both had pretty bad tempers. Plus, Harry and Ginny had just begun dating. She didn't want to ruin the buzz around their new relationship with her breaking up with Ron. Ginny had become a good friend of hers and ending it with her brother didn't sound like the greatest way to officially welcome her into the group.

Hermione was trapped.

She didn't expect anything when she walked into Potions one afternoon, her mind swirling with thoughts of what she was going to do.

She didn't expect anything when Professor Slughorn announced that there was going to be a partner project. Each assigned partnership had to research and brew an assigned potion successfully. 

She didn't expect anything when she heard her name called. 

"Hermione Granger will be partnered with Draco Malfoy."

Her heart stopped. She looked up from her gaze, which had been frozen, staring off into space and half paying attention. That was rare for her. She was always focused in class.

"You will be researching Amortentia."


	3. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco and Hermione meet up in the library... things go very peacefully.

Hermione nearly choked on her own breath when she heard her name called with Malfoy's. Of course, the two had to brew Amortentia. It was an advanced potion, the rest of the class seemed to get much easier ones, but the two of them were at the top of the class. It would be easy... if they could get along for a few seconds.

"Well, looks like we're making Amortentia." A voice drawled as a textbook was dropped onto the freshly empty space beside her.

Hermione looked up, feeling bewildered, to meet an icy grey gaze. "I suppose so." She mumbled, opening her textbook.

The two of them sat there in silence while the rest of the class was buzzing with thoughts and plans. Hermione didn't know what to say or how to break the silence. She couldn't handle another one of Malfoy's slanders. Not with the thoughts going through her mind. He didn't seem to care too much about the fact that neither of them were talking, so she didn't either. He wouldn't even spare her a glance. His eyes were glued to his textbook, although hers would flitter over to look at him occasionally for a split second before looking away. She hated looking at him. 

Just like that, class was over. 

Malfoy didn't even meet her gaze. "Meet me in the library later, at four. Don't be late." He said, standing and picking up his textbook. 

Hermione's eyes looked to the side. She was watching him out of her peripheral vision, seeing his movements from the side. He didn't really wait long enough for her response, but she gave one anyway. "Okay..." She mumbled underneath her breath. It was more for herself than for him. 

Everything was a blur. She got her things together and walked out, seemingly moving in slow motion. It was hazy, almost as if she was surrounded by a cloud. 

Harry approached her though, snapping her out of her trance. "Wow, 'Mione. I can't believe Slughorn paired you with  _Malfoy_ of all people." He said dryly. 

Hermione nodded, sighing softly. "Yeah. Me neither. I'm meeting him in the library later. I just want to get this project over with and never talk to him again." She responded, running a hand through her curls. 

Harry's soft green eyes stared ahead as the two of them walked forwards, to their next classes. "Amortentia too. Gee. Parvati and I are making calming draught. Shouldn't be too bad."

"Ah, lucky. Of course he gave us amortentia, of all possible potions." The brunette girl muttered, her gaze distant and cold. She and Harry parted ways briefly and her thoughts began swirling around in her mind. 

She really wasn't looking forward with that meeting in the library.

In fact, throughout the rest of her classes throughout the day, even the ones with him in it, she felt... dread. Anxiety was coursing through her veins. First, thoughts of breaking things off with Ron were becoming more and more prominent. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she wasn't happy. She couldn't see a future with him. It would only be fighting and arguing over two different lifestyles. He wanted an easy family life. He'd probably become an Auror and have her stay at home to take care of their many children. She wanted adventure, travel, and passion. He couldn't give her what she wanted, and she couldn't give him what he wanted.

Time was going by quicker than she thought and it was approaching 4 when she realized she had to get to the library or Malfoy would probably skin her alive. She had to get it over with, though. There was no point in avoiding him. She didn't want to fail. Hermione made it to the library in time, making her way to a table in the back and sitting down. She sighed softly, getting out her books before resting her head in her hands and closing her eyes.

Everything was so complicated. Why couldn't things just be simple?

Just as the thought passed through her mind, she heard the familiar sound of a book being dropped onto the table carelessly. It made her cringe. Malfoy sat down next to her and flipped open the book before turning and giving her a look. She did the same thing and pretended not to notice every time he would make a little sigh of annoyance. They worked in silence, planning out everything on parchment. They were going to begin brewing the potion the next day. Planning was simple enough, but both of them wanted to just get it over with. Amortentia took nine days to brew, so they were going to have to be around each other for a while.

The first day went smoothly. Very little conversation lead to no arguments. No insults. 

As she was standing up, Malfoy looked over at her, his lips parting as if he was searching for something to say. Hermione paused for a moment, their eyes locked. She waited. Nothing. 

She blinked before getting back to what she was doing- taking her things and leaving. Harry and Ron were probably causing trouble and Hermione would much rather be with those two imbeciles than with Draco Malfoy surrounded by an awkward silence. 

The two of them walked outside together. Before they turned to go completely separate directions, Malfoy paused. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione." 

"Bye, Malfoy." She responded. Something about his voice was softer than usual. He called her... Hermione. It was usually just Granger. He hadn't thrown any insults at her that day or sneered or anything. Something was up, Hermione came to that conclusion.  

That night, Hermione lay awake in her bed. It was funny, how she'd been paired up with Malfoy. They hated each other for stupid, petty reasons, and yet there they were. She had mixed emotions about the entire situation. 

Day one went smoothly. Now they just had nine more to brew that damn Amortentia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh short chapter, I know! 3 in 1 Day though, plus I haven't slept at all so I'm positively exhausted. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Low Flames and Rose Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Amortentia with Hermione and Draco finally manages to catch her messing up something.

Amortentia. With Granger. 

It wasn't the end of the world, but Draco wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't want to be bossed around by the Gryffindor Princess the whole time or even argue with her. He'd seen her in action, when she was really angry, it wasn't a pretty sight. Sometimes, he found it fun to piss her off, just for entertainment. But that went for most of the Gryffindors in general. It was obvious why Slughorn paired them together, and Draco wanted to ring the old bastard's neck with his own two hands. Just because they were the "smartest students in their year" didn't mean anything good would come out of this, right? A good potion, sure, but tension and arguments for the next few years until graduation were also a large possibility. 

She didn't actually bother him that much. Granger was tolerable. She had a brain, at least, unlike that dolt, Ron Weasley, who followed her around like a lost puppy. Every time Draco saw them together, he wondered how they hadn't driven each other insane yet. Everyone could see they were polar opposites. Granger needed a challenge, Weasley needed something easy. At one point, he thought he might be jealous, but he reminded himself that there was nothing to be jealous of. Weasley was an absolute dunce and Granger was a know it all. End of story. It was entertaining to make fun of them though, that was something he knew for sure. 

Draco wasn't a horrible person. He wasn't the evil, cold aristocrat that people made him out to be.

Although he wasn't the nicest, he wasn't straight up evil. He had reasons for doing everything, even if they weren't right. It was the power in it all. Draco loved the feeling of authority. Knowing someone was intimidated by him gave him a rush. He loved being in charge. There was more power in his name than most people had in their lives. His family had been on top of the wizarding world for centuries. He loved the control, so he always asserted himself. It happened to come in the form of bringing others down, most of the time. 

He had a heart, at the end of the day. It beat the same as everyone else's. He still felt love, happiness, anger, sadness. He felt it all. No one gave him credit for his emotions, though, simply because it was the way his family was. 

The Malfoys weren't horrible people.

The press didn't seem to know that, or care either. Constantly, they searched for ways to exploit them or turn the world against them. Draco can't remember a time before press, journalists, cameras, and worst of all, that bitch, Rita Skeeter. When he was only five, Draco's mother took him to Madame Malkin's. There was a small bruise on his ankle from when he'd fallen, playing in the rose gardens outside, and someone managed to get a photo of this bruise. 

The next day, the press was alive, babbling on and on about how Draco Malfoy was being physically abused by his parents. Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. 

Narcissa had actually read the paper in the house and broke down in tears. Lucius was absolutely livid. He handled the press, and it was shut down very quickly. After that, no one dared to mess with the Malfoys when it came to the press.

Still, they looked for excuses. Anything that could make them seem bad, it was out in the paper by the next morning. Draco learned to ignore them, so did Lucius, but it always got to Narcissa.

Contrary to popular belief, Lucius wasn't a cold-hearted man who didn't know what emotion was. He loved his family more than anything in the world. He spoiled Draco rotten, so did Narcissa, and it was well-known that he'd do anything necessary to keep his wife and son happy. He was simply painted by the media to seem horrible.

Similarly, Narcissa wasn't the dumbed-down pureblood wife people thought she was. She was extremely intelligent, Draco ended up getting her brains, and loved gardening. She would spend hours in the manor's library, reading books written by both wizards and muggles alike. She could spend hours in there, completely immersed in a story, without making a single sound. If there was ever a time when someone couldn't find Narcissa and they'd already searched the garden, she was usually in the library or in her private story, reading. 

Narcissa's garden was absolutely beautiful. Before she and Lucius were married, she asked him if she could grow a garden in the backyard, which happened to be a beautiful countryside stretching for miles with a forest in the back. He agreed, seeing as the landscaping was quite... dark. Narcissa worked quickly so it would be prepared before the wedding, and created a stunning rose garden complete with arches and a fountain in the center at the end. It was very impressive and the Malfoy Gardens became well-known for the life it brought to the otherwise dead-looking area. Malfoy Manor was known for being intimidating and dark, but she managed to bring something so stunning in.

One of the things Draco loved most about his mother was her ability to see light in times of darkness and find beauty in places where others couldn't. As a child, whenever there was an event Draco didn't want to go to or a meeting he was annoyed about, Narcissa always found a way to point something out and change his mind. She was a truly incredible woman.

Behind the scenes, they loved each other like other families did. They fought like other families did. Lucius was the one who taught Draco how to fly, and Narcissa was the one who sparked Draco's interest in knowledge. 

So no, the Malfoys weren't evil. Simply misunderstood. 

Home was Draco's safe place. Specifically in his room or the library. Away from all the people and press. Hogwarts wasn't a bad place for him either, but for the wrong reasons. Everyone thought he was so beloved, but that was mostly just girls who wanted to get inside his pants so they could say they fucked the one and only Draco Malfoy. Other people wanted to use him for money, power, or just his family name. Some just wanted to slander him. He was surrounded by fakeness, and that's one thing he envied about the Golden Trio who eveyone seemed to adore. They weren't constantly bombarded with people who only wanted to take advantage of them. Draco had found real friends, yes, but still. He'd never have what they did.

He envied Potter. He envied him for being able to live his life freely. He didn't have to worry about the press constantly trying to make a mess of his family name. When Potter smiled, the world smiled back. He said to jump, they said how high. He was able to run around with his friends and have fun. He didn't have to care so much about the future.

He envied Granger. He envied her for her mind. She didn't seem to ever have a slow moment, the gears constantly turning in that beautiful brain of hers. She was always one step ahead of him, no matter what he did or what he tried. He felt... inferior. 

He even envied Weasley sometimes. He envied him for growing up in such a warm family. He loved his family, of course he did, but it was just him. It got so lonely in the manor growing up, when no one else was around. He had to find ways of entertaining himself, which was mostly reading. The Weasleys had each other. A whole clan to keep each other entertained. 

At the end of the day, Draco swore he hated them. He made fun of the Golden Trio at any opportunity he got, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished he had what they did, and he knew it. 

He saw the three of them laughing and running around, Granger usually scolding them while they were catching their breath. Causing trouble and being teenagers. Sure, his group did stuff like that, but he could never get caught. Even seeing those three get in trouble was interesting. He'd seen them in detention before, he happened to be passing by. Apparently, Potter and Weasley had been in the Ravenclaw common room, very drunk, and Granger had snuck out to go get them back. They got caught while she was sneaking them back to the Gryffindor dorms by one of the prefects, and even in detention they were smiling and giggling. 

He saw Granger with Weasley and he hated it. He hated it because it was real. It wasn't something they were forcing because they didn't know how to deal with emotions. Not like him and Astoria. She was fine, sure, but he couldn't see a future with her.

She just wasn't meant for him. Astoria was a pretty face with a blank stare. She didn't share the same interests or passions as him, he could barely tell why he even asked her out in the first place, but he remembered Daphne begging him to do it just because her little sister always had such a big crush on him. He couldn't see a future with Astoria though. He couldn't imagine rolling over in the morning, sunlight streaming through the expensive curtains, and wrapping his arms around her while she slept. He couldn't imagine leaning over and kissing her forehead while she mumbled something about five more minutes of sleep, curling back up in the silken sheets. He couldn't imagine sitting with her in his mother's gardens and talking about the future. It just wasn't right. It wasn't her.

He had options, though. Plenty of families had practically thrown their daughters at him since birth, trying to strike a contract with his parents for an arranged marriage. Not only would it bring their family fame and fortune, but it would ensure their futures. Most of their daughters weren't horrible to look at, but they were just  _bland_. Their personalities were as colorful as a piece of parchment. All shallow and self obsessed, they only wanted Draco for their own reasons. He couldn't see futures with any of them.

Draco had dreams at night. Usually the same, it was him tangled up in the sheets with some unknown girl. Definitely in the future, in his room at the manor. He was holding her as the two of the slept, a stunning emerald wedding ring glittering on her ring finger and a matching wedding band on his. It was just peaceful, the two of them happily cuddling and wrestling around on the bed for a while. She was never a solid person, no one he knew or could tell who she was, features blurred by his dream. 

He'd had it again.

Sitting up in bed, he realized he was awake, and definitely not in his bed back at the manor. There was no girl laying next to him, enveloped in silk sheets covering her body. There was no wedding band on his ring finger. He was at Hogwarts, in the darkness of the Slytherin dungeons. 

Draco sighed and quickly got ready for the day before walking to the common room. Pansy Parkinson was sitting next to a couple on the couch, looking disturbed and quite frankly, traumatized at the two beside her. She was on the very end, trying to make herself as far away as possible. There, beside her, were Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass, who were practically inside each other. Draco couldn't help but choke on laughter, watching as Pansy cringed at them.

"Morning, Nott." He greeted one of his best friends, watching as Theo broke away from Daphne for a few seconds to murmur a greeting in return before going back to his assault on Daphne's lips. He rolled his eyes and offered a hand to Pansy to help her get off the couch.

Draco and Pansy left the common room, taking a slow walk to the Great Hall. It was another uneventful morning, except the fact that Draco had that damned project with Granger, which he was pushing into the very back of his mind.

"So, Theo and Daphne, huh... are they finally official this time?" Draco asked, looking over at Pansy.

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Nope, the whole school would've known by now. Theo still wants to wait, Daphne's getting annoyed. All they do is break up and get back together anyways." She said with a shrug.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, I still thought they were broken up from a few days ago. Guess not." He said.

"Daphne's trying to tie him down. She talks to Millicent a lot in our dorm at night, it's quite annoying. Always blabbing on about how she and Theo could get together and then you and Astoria and the two of them could go on double dates." Pansy said with a dull laugh.

Draco chuckled dryly. "Like that's ever gonna happen."

Pansy looked over at him. "Might as well tell her that, I'd bet she's already planning the double wedding."

The blonde sighed. "I think I'd rather marry Weaselette than Astoria, if I'm being completely honest." He said with a shrug. Ginny Weasley was another frequent target of his insults, usually because of her obvious crush on Potter. When the Golden Trio wasn't around, he'd go for their other friends. Those Gryffindors always got so heated.

The tall girl beside him smirked. "Oh I'd bet. Are you even into her? Because it really doesn't look like it. Blaise, Theo, and I can see it clear as day. Why don't you just end things with her?" Pansy began, frowning lightly. "Daphne can probably even see it too. She just never says anything because it's her little sister. Still, it's obvious that she's more into it than you are. You aren't happy, are you?"

Draco sighed and nodded softly. "I just... I don't really know if I'm being honest. It doesn't feel right, but I'm really trying to make it work with her." He said, looking down. 

Pansy's frown deepened and she furrowed her neatly-groomed brows. "Draco, if you're not happy then get out of the situation. I know you're scared of getting caught in a loveless marriage and you think making yourself fall for Astoria is going to change that, but let's face it, she just isn't the right one." She said simply.

It reminded Draco of his parents' arranged marriage. They were the lucky ones, though. Their parents had signed the contract when they were born, and they found out about it during their sixth year. In the beginning, Lucius and Narcissa couldn't stand each other. She thought he was rude and he thought she was annoying. They bickered constantly, and one day decided to just stop because they were going to be together for the rest of their lives. Pureblood divorce was unheard of in the Malfoy family, as well as most pureblood families. Once you were married, that was it, you were set for life. They started getting to know each other more and more, and realized that they were falling in love. By the time their official engagement came around, they didn't have to fake romance for the press. It was real at that point.

Draco was afraid he wouldn't find what they had. He'd get some dull, bland wife like Astoria Greengrass and suffer through a loveless marriage until one of them outlived the other. It was harsh, but it was reality. He also knew the Greengrasses had offered up both of their daughters for a contract when he was younger, which was so strange to him. 

He snapped back into reality and thought about what Pansy had told him. That was one of the reasons Draco was friends with her. She kept things real and always said what needed to be said, even when others wouldn't. She didn't just tell him what he wanted to hear.

"You're right." He murmured, sighing.

Suddenly, Pansy's eyes flickered a bit and she chuckled dryly. "Well, well, well. Speak of the devil and she shall appear." She said lowly.

Draco peered up and suddenly saw a lanky brunette practically bouncing over to them, fizzling with energy. "Drakie!" Astoria exclaimed with a smile. Pansy looked queasy. Draco felt queasy.

She threw her arms around him and he complied, doing the same, faking a smile, and kissing the top of her head. "Morning."

"You'll never believe what I heard..." She began. Draco wasn't really listening to her gossip introduction. She usually babbled on and on like this for around twenty minutes before getting bored and trying to snog him, so he learned how to tune her out during her latest broadcast.

"Millicent said something about Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley getting in a fight too." Astoria blabbed, but that peaked Draco's interest.

"The Weaselbee and Granger got into a fight?" He snorted.

Astoria nodded. "Mmhmm, I heard it was bad. Anyways, Andrea Silverhorn, you don't know her, she's in my year, said something about how she thought you were cute and I had to remind her that you were mine." She began again. Draco resisted rolling his eyes, but it took so much energy. Sometimes he wanted her to just shut up.

 _Interesting._ Draco thought to himself. So Granger and the Weasel got into a fight? That was so... unlike them. He'd pester them about it later. 

The rest of the morning went pretty well. Astoria nearly talked her own head off, which Draco wouldn't have been too upset about if he was being completely honest. She was a nice girl she just... well, she was extraordinarily annoying. Daphne and Theo got into another argument during lunch and broke up for the third time that week, and Draco knew they'd be kissing in the common room later that afternoon. That was just the way they were. 

Potions came around. Of course, time to begin brewing a damn love potion with Granger. Somedays he wished Astoria would brew him some amortentia so he wouldn't feel so trapped in their relationship. He wasn't sure why he wasn't just ending it, either. It was something about not wanting to be alone, although he knew he'd have a few pretty little birds trying to get with him the moment they knew he was single. Still, he didn't want useless hook ups with random girls. He wanted something real. 

He'd never admit it though.

Draco walked down to the potions corridor and into the room, surprised to see that Granger wasn't there yet. Weird. She was always there by now, if not earlier. Draco got his things out and went to the back of the classroom, getting some of the ingredients to begin brewing the potion. First he grabbed a cauldron and filled it with brewing water, making sure to hit the exact measurement. He loved potions, brewing was something that he was very fond of, so he needed to make sure everything was perfect. 

Right as he put the cauldron down, Granger walked into class. She wasn't late, but she was nearly. She seemed... down. Something was off, for sure. She came to their spot at the back of the classroom and put her things down, grabbing a cauldron and filling it with water in silence. She quickly grabbed the ingredients they needed just before he had a chance to go back and get them and sat them down gently on the table. 

"Everything alright Granger? I heard you got into a fight with the Weaselbee." Draco said with a teasing smirk, looking to his side over at her.

She didn't respond, a frown on her face as she sighed, rubbing her temples.

"What are you, deaf?" He jabbed. He was purposely pressing to try and get a reaction out of her.

"We fought. Big deal. It's quite frankly none of your fucking business, Malfoy. Since when do you care?" Granger said, tension clear in her voice.

Draco huffed. "I don't."

"Then stop fucking talking about it." The wavy-haired brunette snapped, her fiery amber eyes glowing like embers.  

The two of them worked in silence after that, following the instructions. Draco looked over at the flame below Granger's cauldron and noticed something. 

He cleared his throat quietly. "Your flame is too high." He said softly.

She looked over at him. "What?" She asked, having not paid attention the first time. She'd gotten good at ignoring the Malfoy heir. It bothered him.

"I said your flame is too high. You need to start with a very low flame so the water stays lukewarm." He said a bit louder. 

Granger sighed, looking back down. "Y-... you're right. Thanks." She mumbled, adjusting the flame's size.

It felt good, he decided. Telling Granger she was doing something wrong. For once, Draco felt like he was ahead over her. Potions was his strength, arithmancy was hers. 

After that it stayed quiet for a while again. The two of them bruised peppermint flower heads using a mortar and pestle in silence, on opposite sides of their cauldrons. The rest of the classroom was talking. They looked quite odd compared to the rest of them. 

Draco sprinkled the bruised flower heads into the cauldron, then putting in peppermint leaves and putting them in the water. He nearly crushed those as well before remembering that he had to keep those whole. Looking over, he noticed Granger was going around the same pace as him. 

He watched her as she carefully placed each tablespoon of powdered moonstone in the cauldron at a time, making sure to stir anti-clockwise three times precisely before putting in the next tablespoon. Her technique was good, but he decided she could use work on her wrist motions. She paused for a moment, about to put the rose thorns in, when Draco stopped her. 

"Granger, it has to be moving." He advised.

She looked up, surprised. "What?" She asked.

"The water has to be moving when you add the rose thorns in. Like this." Draco demonstrated, stirring once more and quickly putting the thorns in before the water stopped and stilled again.

She nodded, paying close attention, before doing the same.

"Thank you." She murmured.

When she looked away, Draco smiled softly. Twice in one day, he'd managed to one-up her. 

The two finished around the same time, taking the cauldrons off of heat and placing a covering over them. All they had to do now was take them to a dark place and leave them to sit until the next day.

After putting them away, he and Granger both sat back down. Everyone else was still working, they were just faster than normal. Both were great at potions, so it wasn't very hard for them to end up getting ahead. Plus, they were the top students in the class and in the year. Draco was right behind her, grades-wise. 

Class ended after the two sat in silence for a little while and they both got up and parted ways, murmuring quick "see-you-tomorrow's" before turning down opposite sides of the hallways.

Something was wrong with Granger. This fight with Weasley must've really messed her up. Draco was determined to figure out exactly what went down.


	5. The Breakup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 of brewing Amortentia. Hermione sees something she shouldn't, and also sees a new side of Draco.

Hermione felt like banging her head against a wall. A dull ache was forming near the front of her temples as she sighed, rubbing them gently with her fingers. She and Ron had gotten into an argument and of course, half of the school knew about it by now. Leave it to the two of them to argue in front of a group of third years in the middle of the hallway. 

With a sigh, Hermione sat up in bed. It was around four am, far before anyone would really be waking up. Sleep was something she struggled with often, though. Most nights she took something for it, but she didn't feel like going back to sleep at such an odd time. She'd be waking up in around two hours anyways. 

It was a stupid comment he'd made. 

She'd been walking down the hallway with Ron and he said she'd look better in a kitchen with an apron on than her school uniform. She just turned and looked at him with this look before she said "What?" and then the argument began. 

It was basically a shouting match of Hermione asking Ron why he even wanted to date her and him responding with something stupid like "because you got really pretty". She'd get even more mad then and ask more pointless questions, basically evaluating their relationship right there in front of anyone who happened to be passing by. It wasn't the best place to do it, but at least they did it. Hermione realized he definitely didn't want the same things she did.

She didn't know why she hadn't seen it coming. For years, Ron talked about wanting to have a wife just like his mother. Hermione would just nod and smile, thinking about other things. 

It hit her during the argument. If they were going to have a future together, it would be full of compromises and sacrifice on her side. She didn't want more than one child, she knew that for sure. Ron wanted at least six. She couldn't cook anything without burning the food, starting a small fire, or getting frustrated. Ron wanted someone who could cook for him. She was terrified of flying and always thought quidditch was dangerous and overrated. Ron talked about quidditch constantly and loved heights. 

There were just so many differences. There was always the saying 'opposites attract' but at that time and place, it didn't look like they did. It looked more like 'opposites start dating because everyone expects it and end up in flames' in her opinion. 

What scared her most was affecting her friendship with Ron. She knew it wouldn't be the same the day they started dating, but she didn't do anything. She just went with it because she liked him back and it felt like the right thing to do at the time. The longer they were together, though, the more she realized she wasn't really that happy. 

They hadn't officially broken up, but they were technically on a break. At the end of the day, the two of them had calmed down enough to let Harry try and get them to talk things out. They compromised with a break and decided to take some time to evaluate themselves and what they wanted. Then, after a few days, they'd sit down and discuss it. If it added up, they'd get back together and try it again. If not, they'd break up. Harry made them promise to stay friends, and they both agreed.

Hermione didn't mind losing boyfriend Ron, but she couldn't lose friend Ron. He was one of her best friends at the end of the day, and looking back at it, perhaps that's all he really was to her.

She brushed that thought out her mind quickly. No, it wasn't fair to say Ron had only ever been a friend to her. She'd liked him, definitely, perhaps it just wasn't meant to be. Besides, the sooner they ripped the bandaid off, the easier it would be to get over it and go back to being friends. Things would be... normal. Just like they were before they'd started dating.

The rest of the day, after the fight and Harry making them talk it out, had been fine. She'd gone to potions and began brewing that amortentia with Malfoy, and at first he was annoying her about what had gone down with Ron, but after a little while they were just working in peace. That part was nice. She preferred quiet Malfoy, when they weren't bickering and he wasn't finding something to insult her about. 

She'd left class that day and gone back to the Gryffindor common room, talking to Ginny about everything that was happening, and she told her that if the two of them broke up, they'd still be friends. Hermione was so thankful for that, because she was already risking losing Ron, and she didn't know if she could deal with losing Ginny too.

Time passed by slowly while Hermione waited for some kind of sign, too lazy to check the time herself while she was thinking. Before she knew it, the sun was rising and she decided to get out of bed and get ready for the day. 

Putting on her uniform, she adjusted her red and gold striped tie before putting on a Hogwarts jumper since it was getting colder outside. Today would be better. It had to be.

She moved past the sleeping forms of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, both in their beds, and left the dorm in silence. She didn't think too much, just listening to the ambient noise around her as she walked. Shivering softly, she reached the Great Hall and surveyed the area around her. There were a few people already there, she noticed the Ravenclaw table seemed to be the most populated that early, with around five people there already. 

Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table, not speaking or eating. Just evaluating. Besides, no one was really there for her to talk to yet anyways. 

She noticed something out of the corner of her eye, a flash of white-blonde hair. Just as she turned, Malfoy entered the room with Pansy Parkinson. His walk was regal, as always, and the two of them seemed to be in an interesting conversation. She watched as the two of them settled over at the Slytherin table, Pansy being able to sit down. Malfoy was attacked by Astoria Greengrass' affection and smothered in it, looking somewhat uncomfortable as the younger girl threw herself at him. Hermione chuckled dryly, looking away.

After a few moments, Ginny showed up and finally, Hermione was able to have some company.

"Morning, Gin." Hermione greeted with a light smile as her friend sat down next to her.

"Morning, Mione!" Ginny responded in return, seemingly buzzing with energy.

The brunette chuckled. "You seem excited this morning." She remarked, raising a brow.

Ginny smiled. "Yeah um... well, you see..." she began but was interrupted when a very happy Harry Potter swooped in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning, Gin!" He said with a bright smile and Ginny looked up at him, returning it.

Hermione's jaw fell open before quickly closing her mouth into a smirk. "Ginny... Harry... care to explain?" She asked. 

"Well, Hermione... err, we um..." Ginny began, clearly searching for the right words.

"We're together!" Harry interrupted, his eyes shimmering lightly. Hermione could tell he was ecstatic. 

"Congratulations!" The brunette said with a wide smile, mirroring theirs. "How'd this happen, lovebirds?"

Harry smiled, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Well, we've liked each other for a bit. I just gave in and told her how I felt yesterday. Figured I might as well before someone else swoops in and grabs her up." He responded, sitting next to Ginny and putting his arm around her shoulder. She rested her head on his shoulder, looking over at Hermione. 

"I'm so happy for you. Honestly, though, it's about time. We've all seen this coming." Hermione said with a light chuckle.

Something caught her eye, similarly to before. Except this time, it wasn't Malfoy. It was Ron, entering the room with a bubbly Lavender Brown walking beside him. Hermione frowned, feeling a pit in her chest. Why were the two of them together? They were just on a break, not broken up.

Ron walked past her, Harry, and Ginny and sat down with Lavender and her friends. It bothered Hermione, but she didn't do anything about it.

Turning to Harry, she sighed. "Harry, since when are Ronald and Lavender Brown friends?" She asked, raising a brow.

Harry shrugged, playing with Ginny's hair. "I've seen them chat a few times. He doesn't talk about her though."

"Uh-huh. Alright, thanks. I'm going to ask him about it later." Hermione replied, now determined to figure out why he was walking with her. 

Hermione was the jealous type. Absolutely. When it came to someone she was interested in, seeing them with someone else bothered her. Ron never really had too many friends who were girls besides her, so seeing him suddenly out and about with Lavender Brown was something she wasn't used to. Maybe they had a class together, or perhaps just had some other reason to talk. Hermione was making up excuses in her head, convincing herself it was nothing. She didn't want to jump to conclusions and cause any more unnecessary tension between her and Ron. 

Realizing it was nearly time to head to class, Hermione grabbed her things, said goodbye to Ron and Ginny, and walked outside of the Great Hall. She was waiting for Ron to walk out so she could have a quick word with him, but first Malfoy was the one to come out. Hermione didn't really care, it's not like they had anything to discuss anyways.

It was weird though. He nodded to her as he passed, their eyes locking. That was strange. Hermione couldn't remember a time where Draco Malfoy had ever been somewhat friendly to her besides the past day when he wasn't insulting her entire existence. He was walking with Pansy, Astoria Greengrass trailing behind them like a baby duck following its mother.

The youngest Greengrass... she was interesting, to say the least. Hermione had bumped into her once or twice, of course she'd been a bit nasty. She tried extremely hard to be Pansy Parkinson, and everyone could see it, though. Poor girl barely had an idea of her own identity. She was quite air-headed and seemed naive, and Hermione almost felt bad for her. She didn't seem to have any real friends of her own. 

Well, no sympathy for the devil.

Finally, Ron walked out with Lavender Brown and Hermione stopped them.

"Ron, er... Lavender. Morning. Ron, can we have a word?" Hermione found herself tripping over her sentences for once and it was a bit awkward for her. She usually didn't feel so weird talking to him. The tension was an issue.

Ron looked over at Lavender, who didn't seem too happy. "Mione, um... sure." He replied. "Lav, I'll see you later." He told the other girl with a light smile and she returned it before leaving. Hermione could feel her glaring at her as she walked off.

"I didn't know you and Lavender were friends." She snapped slightly, crossing her arms. 

Ron stepped back. "W... we weren't, she just asked me to walk her to the Great Hall this morning. What are you trying to say?" He asked defensively.

She sighed. "Nothing... I just... everyone knows she likes you, Ron. It's kind of obvious." Hermione stated, shrugging.

The red-head snorted. "Please, 'Mione. As if I'd get with her over you. I mean, yeah, we're on a break or whatever, but I'm not going anywhere."

Hermione could tell his words were hollow. He was just trying to tell her what she wanted to hear so she'd stop pressing. "Alright... just, meet me at lunch, we still need to talk this out." She said, and with that, she muttered a quick goodbye and headed to class.

-

Finally, time to talk things out came around. Hermione's classes hadn't been particularly interesting to her that morning, they'd learned things she already knew. Still, she'd been anxious to meet up with Ron. This was going to determine everything. 

Her heart was racing as she walked out of the classroom and into the hallways, hearing each and every noise. The sound of her heartbeat was the most calming to her, but she could also hear each footstep her shoes made against the floor. She knew she had to get this over with. It did determine the fate of her and Ron's romantic relationship, but at the end of the day, they could still be friends if it didn't work out.

Hermione realized she'd been looking down for a while as she walked and looked up, seeing students crowding the halls. First years running away from third years who were teasing them. Seventh years who looked like they were ready to just  _graduate_ already. Two fourth years cuddled up, snogging like no one was around. Just another day at Hogwarts. 

She got closer to the Great Hall and noticed something in one of the alcoves in the corridor when she became ten times as anxious as she had been before.

There was Ron, leaned against the wall as Lavender Brown spoke to him. Hermione couldn't hear what they were discussing as she got closer. 

Lavender suddenly leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Ron's lips.

Hermione's heart stopped. The world around her froze. 

Ron smiled and Lavender looked over before turning a sickly pale. "Ron..." she whispered, nudging him. He perked up before looking over to see Hermione standing there.

"'Mione, wait, I can explain!" He said suddenly as the brunette turned and speed-walked away as fast as she could, trying to keep the tears at bay. 

"Hermione!" He yelled, trying to keep up. 

The two of them were pushing through the flood of students heading for the Great Hall, going against the stream. Once the two of them were out of the crowd, Hermione stopped walking.

She turned around, tears prickling, threatening to cascade down her cheeks. "Ronald Billius Weasley, you foul loathesome evil little cockroach!" Hermione hissed, slapping him in the face. "What is wrong with you?! We were going to talk things through and you had to run off and snog Lavender Brown?!" 

"I didn't mean for you to see that!" Ron interrupted.

"That makes it so much worse, Ronald!" Hermione snapped. "I can't believe I thought you'd take this seriously. I should've known!" 

"'Mione... please... let me explain." Ron said, attempting to reason with her. 

"Don't you dare call me that! My name is Hermione Granger and I swear to Circe, Ronald, if you ever try to justify this I will hex your balls off!" She yelled, standing dangerously close to him. "It's over, Ronald. You've made that abundantly clear." Her voice was low and dangerous by the time she turned away, stalking off and leaving Ron alone in the empty corridor.

The tears came the moment she sat down at the Gryffindor table, next to Harry and Ginny who clearly had no idea anything had happened. 

"Oh, 'Mione! I thought you and Ron were talking things out?" Harry said, Ginny sitting on his lap. 

The tears fell. Hermione gulped, a lump forming in her throat. "We..." 

Ginny noticed the tears first and quickly jumped over to her friend's side, wrapping her arm around her. "Hermione, what happened? Did he hurt you? I swear, I'll hex him into oblivion." She said.

"We broke up. I was going to meet up with him and he was standing there, kissing Lavender Brown." Hermione responded.

Ginny had her wand drawn in a heartbeat. "Where is he?! That little roach, I'm going to get him. I don't care if he's my brother, I'll do it!" She threatened while Harry walked over, holding her back.

-

The rest of the day leading to Potions class was a blur. Hermione walked slowly, practically dragging herself into the classroom. Malfoy had already brought out both of their cauldrons and was working on his. He looked up and noticed her entering, and beckoned her over.

"Granger, are you alright? You don't look so good." Malfoy remarked, looking over at her.

Hermione ignored him, following the instructions from her textbook.  _Stir seven times counter clockwise and put the cover back on._ She read, focusing on each stir. She nearly lost count before Malfoy's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Careful, you almost did eight..." he murmured. 

Hermione was trying to keep her face from crumbling. Everything felt so wrong. "Granger...?" She heard and looked over to see Malfoy actually looking... concerned?

He put the cover on his own cauldron and waited for her to cover hers before he took both of them back to their place to sit for another day.

"Granger... what happened?" He asked, furrowing his brow. Grey eyes were glimmering with curiosity as he faced her.

Hermione didn't speak for a moment before finally letting it out. "We broke up." She murmured.

"You... you and the Weasel broke up?" Malfoy said, trying to hide a smirk. Hermione knew he was so close to making fun of her, but she didn't know why he stopped himself. "I'm... I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you." She said before looking up at him. He was putting his things away, although they still had a while left in class since all they had to do was one little adjustment before leaving the potion to sit for another night. 

"Malfoy?"

"Yeah, Granger?"

"Why are you being so nice to me lately?"

Malfoy froze a bit before shrugging. "I don't really know." He responded, sighing.

Hermione looked away. "Yeah... me neither."

"Granger?"

"What?"

"Why are you okay with it?"

Hermione's turn to freeze up. "I guess I don't know either."

Malfoy nodded. "Yeah..." He murmured, casually running a hand through his hair.

There was a moment of silence between the two and for the first time, Hermione felt like maybe Malfoy wasn't a completely horrible person. Maybe he had a heart underneath that evil smirk of his.

"Why... why do you even hate me so much?" Hermione blurted out. _Oh shit_. She didn't even want to ask him that, it was simply a thought in her mind and happened to spill out.

Malfoy paused, looking down before turning back to face her again, their eyes meeting. "I guess because of Potter. I mean, our families hate each other and you're his best friend. Besides, you're my biggest competition academically." He said with a nonchalant shrug. 

Hermione never thought of it that way. Of course, he wouldn't like her because of Harry. She could understand that. If she said she didn't dislike most of Malfoy's friends just because they hung out with him then she'd be lying. She never got to know any of them, they never got to know her. It was just the way things had always been. Gryffindors didn't like Slytherins. Potters didn't like Malfoys.

But Hermione was surprised when he mentioned her being his academic competition. She was always the top of the class, except sometimes in Potions, and he was usually second to her. It made sense for him to be jealous of that. She knew the Malfoys pushed him to be the best in everything and to get ahead. He must've always felt so... pressured.

"I... I never thought about it like that." Hermione murmured. 

Malfoy nodded. "Everyone has a side. Even I do." He said, and with that, class was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best, but I did want to get a chapter out. I wasn't really sure how to write this whole scenario, but I went for it!


	6. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 of Potions, Draco and Hermione decide to form an alliance.

_He could see her standing there in the manor's library, wearing one of his old quidditch shirts, on the tips of her toes trying to reach a book. Straining her arms to try and get it, a small squeak emitted from her before she sighed. He smiled, walking up behind her and reaching out, grabbing the book with ease and handing it to her. She turned around, a light smile forming on her lips._

_"I almost had it..." She muttered stubbornly, looking up at him._

_Draco smirked, both of his arms pinning her in place. "Oh, I'm sure you did. You were sooooo close." He teased, leaning in closer. He was a few inches away from her face, leaning down because of their height difference._

_She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, staring up at the grey-eyed boy in front of her before standing on the tips of her toes, their lips meeting as she closed the distance. It was a heated kiss, not too sloppy or rushed, not too slow. Romantic, gentle, and passionate. Draco's favorite kind of kiss._

_Suddenly and without warning, he reached down and picked her up, hearing a surprised squeak come from his lover's vocal chords. The book was tossed to the side as she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, playing with the baby hairs on his upper neck. Draco carried her over to the couch, the fireplace crackling in the background, the fire casting an amber glow around the area as he laid her down, nestled in between her legs._

_"Draco..." She murmured, moaning softly as his hands roamed her petite body. "I need you..."_

_He was happy to comply, pulling his shirt over his head before doing the same to hers, realizing she had nothing on underneath. "Minx..." He growled before ravaging her neck with kisses._

_"Draco!" Her voice suddenly changed. It sounded... male?_

_"Oi! Mate, get up!" That definitely wasn't his lover._

Draco groaned, his head throbbing as he was rolling over in bed and he felt someone tapping him. He'd been having such a great dream...

"Oi, Draco!" Someone whispered loudly, and he finally opened his eyes. 

It was just Blaise. 

"Blaise, what are you doing...?" Draco huffed, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Blaise Zabini had been one of his best friends since first year. The two were like brothers, and if Draco ever needed help, Blaise was the one he'd go to. They'd seen each other in vulnerable states so many times that they ended up making a pact to go to each other when they had issues because they didn't want anyone else to think they were weak. The two of them were pretty similar in personality, except there were a few parts where Blaise was just... different.

He was, perhaps, the most Gryffindor-like Slytherin Draco had ever met. Probably would've been a hat stall if it wasn't for his family's long line of Slytherins going back generations. Blaise was flirtatious and loud and when he entered the room, everyone knew it. He usually had a girl on his arm and left a trail of broken hearts behind. He had a reputation for being the school's second biggest heartbreaker. Draco was, of course, first.

"You passed out last night, get cleaned up and meet me in the Great Hall." Blaise said, before turning and walking outside. That's when Draco realized he was, in fact, not in bed. He was on one of the couches in the Slytherin common room. 

Oh, right. There had been a party the night before. 

Looking around, he noticed a few of his friends still sleeping. Pansy was nowhere to be found. She wasn't exactly a party girl, either. He saw Theo sleeping on another couch spooning Daphne and smirked softly. So they were finally back together for the week. That wouldn't last long.

He stood up and stumbled a bit before journeying to his dorm, putting on a fresh uniform, and chugging a pepper up potion. He scrunched his face up at the taste but left for the Great Hall, still thinking about that dream. The girl had become a bit more visual, but he couldn't tell who she was. Pale, light-toned skin, not nearly as pale as his, and warm eyes. Well, it wasn't Astoria. He was trying to think of someone he knew with those features... well, plenty of girls had light skin and brown eyes. He hoped maybe a later dream would reveal more.

Draco was on his way to the Great Hall when memories of the past night really came back. Someone had found some kind of alcohol and everyone passed it around, playing truth or dare. True Slytherin fashion. He cringed, remembering when he and Astoria were dared to make out until the next turn was over. She ended up leaving the game after two more rounds because she needed "beauty sleep" and he just kept going and ended up telling a lot of embarrassing childhood stories. His friends were going to torture him for years... if they even remembered him. He'd probably been the least smashed out of all of them. Even Pansy drank more than him.

Walking inside, he looked over at his table to see a very hungover Pansy Parkinson nursing on a cup of pumpkin juice. Her entire aura was thrown off and he could tell she was regretting the previous night just as much as he was. Astoria was nowhere to be seen, but Blaise was sitting with Pansy and the two of them were talking about something. Blaise had been the only one who didn't get extremely sloshed. Draco remembered calling him a pussy for it.

As he was walking over, he noticed something at the Gryffindor table. Granger was sitting there, looking miserable. It was so odd to see her like that. Usually she was so animated. Her personality was like flame. Now, she seemed like an ash. Something about seeing her without that spark in her eyes threw him off a bit. She was never so... emotionless. She just had a blank stare on while Potter and Weaselette- Ginny were talking to her.

Oh.  _Oh_. Draco's eyes moved slightly down the table to see Lavender Brown sitting on Weasley's lap. He immediately thought ' _I'd be depressed too if I dated that_ ' but realized if he told her that later she'd probably break down. Normally, mocking the Gryffindors for their emotions was one of his favorite pasttimes, but he'd been being nicer to Granger lately. He couldn't really figure out why, but it was probably because of potions. Sparing himself from her fiery temper was better than making a bad comment and having her go off on him.

He sighed softly, sitting down next to Pansy and murmuring a quiet good morning. She huffed in return, looking up for a moment before laying her head on the table.

"My potions project is going to shit." She muttered.

Draco nodded. "Oh, mine's not."

"Yeah, cause you're you and you also have fucking Granger as your partner. Everyone knows you're both bloody geniuses." Pansy looked over at him.

"Yeah... yeah she is." Draco murmured in response, not really thinking about it too much.

Pansy hummed to herself and sat up a bit. "What even happened last night? I remember kissing Millicent Bulstrode as a dare and then passing out." 

Blaise was just chuckling. "You two are such idiots. I have so much blackmail material on all of you now." He said with a smirk.  _Nevermind, not a hat stall. 100% Slytherin right there._ Draco thought while he and Pansy groaned in unison. 

-

The rest of the day was predominantly uneventful. Draco ran into Astoria in the hallway and was smothered with affection, as usual. He was beginning to warm up to her, he thought. At least he was trying. 

Walking into Potions, Draco really saw the aftermath of what had gone down with Weasley. Granger looked as emotionally hungover as Pansy was physically. She clearly hadn't slept, bags forming under her eyes as she stirred her potion. His was already out, waiting for him, just as he had set up for her the day before. 

"Merlin, Granger, have you slept?" The blonde asked as he took the covering off of his cauldron.

She shook her head. "No, I suppose not. Sleep just never came." Her voice was quiet and cold.

Draco was pretty quick to finish his daily care of the potion and took both of theirs back. When he returned to their table, she was looking up at him.

"Thanks." Granger said softly as she looked away.

"Hey, um... Weasley didn't deserve you." Draco said, trying to cheer her up. He missed the old Granger, who would've probably hexed him for even opening his mouth by now. Even if he wasn't insulting her. This was one of those times when Draco remembered she was a person and not a punching bag. 

"Thanks, but apparently he deserves Lavender Brown." The wavy-haired girl chuckled dryly, a hint of dullness in her words.

Draco snorted as she spoke. "Lavender Brown is a greasy nobody and the Weasel is an idiot who can't see that he lost something."

Granger just nodded, looking away. "I guess you're right."

Suddenly, an idea popped into Draco's mind. Clearly, she wasn't happy with Weasley. He already hated him anyways, so why not cause a little trouble.

"Hey, Granger?" He asked, hoping it would cheer her up.

"Yeah?" She responded, those fiery amber eyes looking over at him.

"Why don't we make him jealous?" Draco said, a light smirk forming on his face. He could see the gears turning in her head as she assessed the idea. 

"How would we do that?" Granger asked, raising a brow. There was a little light in her eyes in that moment.

Draco chuckled. "It doesn't have to be elaborate, just walk around with me and my friends. That'll be enough to give him brain dysfunction, except he probably has a lot of that already."

Granger nodded, thinking about it for a moment. "I'm in." She replied.

"You're in?"

"I'm in."

"But... wait... don't all of your friends hate me?" She asked, looking back at him.

Draco shrugged. "Not really. They all have someone they hate, but I don't think you're that person. Besides, if you're good with me then you basically have approval from all of them as well." He said with a light shrug. She seemed surprised by this.

"Alright, but we have to figure it out. First of all, you have a girlfriend. I don't want to piss off Pansy 2.0 by being seen running around with her boyfriend." Granger said.

Draco burst out into laughter. "Wait, wait, wait, Pansy 2.0?" He asked, nearly wheezing.

Granger smiled, laughing a bit too. "Yeah, um, that's what we call Astoria. No offense, I mean... shit this is off to a bad start. Here I am insulting your girlfriend too..." She said, rubbing her temples. 

"No, no, honestly, that's more of an insult to Pansy than Astoria." The blonde responded and Granger's eyes widened.

"Wow, that's harsh." She said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Hey, you're the one who calls her 'Pansy 2.0', not me, for the record." Draco said, putting his hands up defensively. "But honestly, Astoria shouldn't be too bothered. I mean, she doesn't have any reason to hate you that I can think of. Besides, if she tries something I'll just have a chat with her." He said with a shrug.

Granger was clearly surprised by this. "Okay... also, my name is Hermione, not just Granger. If we're going to be 'friends' then we might as well be on a first name basis." 

Draco smirked. "Well then, Hermione. Draco Malfoy, pleased to meet you." He said, reaching out his hand for her to shake it. 

As she did, he was taken back to that first time that they met before the Sorting Ceremony. Standing outside with the other first years, he'd reached his hand out as he said his name, introducing himself. The only other time they were even on good terms. 

Hermione smiled. "Deja vu, huh?" She asked.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry, another short chapter! I'm going to work on writing more for the next few that I have planned!


	7. The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 of Potions, it's starting to look like the Slytherins and Gryffindors are at a bit of an alliance.

For the first time since she and Ron had broken up, Hermione felt good. She had a newfound sense of confidence as she walked down the hallway and a new spring in her step. She felt like she could blow Lavender Brown out of the fucking water, but it would be a waste of her energy. Each step had purpose now. Revenge. 

Walking beside her was a tall boy who's looks radiated power. 6'4 with a lean frame and snowy blonde hair. Intimidating grey eyes that might just appear the tiniest bit green if you looked close enough. Behind them were two more Slytherins, a dark-skinned boy with curly black hair who was remarkably charming and funny, and a fair girl with dark hair in a stylish french bob who had a laugh like a songbird. 

Hermione had realized she'd horribly misjudged the Slytherins, at least from what she was seeing. Blaise Zabini wasn't just a womanizer who broke hearts just for the sake of making a girl cry. Pansy Parkinson actually had a personality and was more than just one of Draco's sidekicks. She realized that the Slytherins were as much of a family as the Gryffindors were, protecting each other and forming tight bonds. It was such an anomaly to her, seeing all the snakes laughing together and smiling. 

On another hand, it was so  _weird_. Pansy Parkinson was giving her fashion tips, Blaise was talking about his mother's latest husband, and Draco was walking beside her, smiling pretty much the entire time. These weren't the pessimistic, angsty Slytherins she thought she knew. They weren't the evil house that Hogwarts knew, either. 

Walking into the Great Hall was probably the best feeling she'd ever felt. She could feel peoples' eyes staring and for the first time, she loved it. Normally, she was fine with being the bookworm that no one bothered to get to know. Now that she had a taste of the spotlight, she realized how addicting it was being on top. With his arm around her waist, Draco walked her past Ron and Lavender to her spot with Harry and Ginny at the Gryffindor table. Hermione could tell some of her friends' jaws were hitting the floor at that point. Meanwhile, Pansy and Blaise were in toe, walking like royalty. They dropped Hermione off at the table and all said they'd see her later, walking over to the Slytherin table. While she was sitting down, she felt Ron staring at her.

"Hermione Jean Granger, what the  _hell_ is going on?" Harry squeaked, looking like the world was upside down. Ginny was straight-up speechless.

"Oh, um... Draco was just walking me to the table. We had a pretty good conversation yesterday after Potions, he's actually not that bad." Hermione replied, fiddling with her fingers. Without the Slytherins there with her, the spotlight was starting to feel a little hot.

"Oh, yeah, right since when is Malfoy 'Draco'?" The raven-haired boy said, cocking a brow.

The amber-eyed brunette shrugged. "Ever since yesterday, I suppose."

"Hermione," Ginny cut in. "don't look now, but Ron's catching flies." She commented and she couldn't help but turn and look at her now ex-boyfriend who's mouth was hanging open. Lavender seemed to be annoyed with his lack of attention for her and when Hermione's eyes met Ron's, both of them immediately looked away. 

"Well that's one way to come back from a breakup." Ginny spoke, while Harry was sipping from his pumpkin juice. 

Harry looked up. "But 'Mione... it's  _Malfoy_." He stated, looking uncomfortable. "He's hated us since first year. He hates my entire family!"

Hermione looked over at him. "And you haven't hated him since first year either...?"

"Okay, you have a point. Our families have hated each other for generations, though! He's a slimy git and you're better than him." Harry responded, crossing his arms.

The brunette girl shrugged. "I suppose, but everyone has a side. Even Draco."

He sighed. "You say that now. You're probably going to run off and fall in love with him."

Hermione chuckled dryly. "Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen." She replied with a snort. 

Ginny shrugged, taking a bite out of a pastry. "I mean, you never know. Besides, you two didn't exactly look friendly when he walked you over here with his arm around your waist. You don't see him doing that with Pansy."

Hermione nodded. "Ginny, Harry. Draco and I aren't a thing. Nor will we ever be. He's with Astoria, remember? We're just... friends? Acquaintances? I don't really know, but we aren't close and we never will be." She reasoned. She and Draco definitely didn't have any kind of feelings for each other besides a newfound acquaintanceship. They'd despised each other for years based off of rivalry and pettiness, and it was all beginning to start over. Hermione nearly laughed at the thought of Draco Malfoy leaving a girl like Astoria Greengrass for her. 

Astoria may not have any discerner-able personality, but she was pretty and she was rich. That's all the more fancy Pureblood families valued. Astoria had long, sleek dark brown hair and pale skin. Her eyes were a shaded green and she was tall and lanky. Draco would probably put a ring on her dainty little finger the moment she graduated Hogwarts, if there wasn't already an arrangement in place.

Hermione found that she was comparing herself to Astoria. Trying to find their similarities and differences. Astoria was tall and lanky. Hermione was short and petite. Astoria's family had money to burn. Hermione's family had enough. Astoria's eyes were dark green. Hermione's eyes were amber. 

She shut the thoughts out of her head. There was nothing to compare since they were on two different continents when it came to who they were. At the end of the day, Hermione knew this was all temporary and she really had no business comparing herself to Astoria Greengrass. This little jealousy pact with Draco would come to an end sometime and they'd go back to hating each other or just being strangers. She'd never listen to Blaise talk about all the cute Gryffindor girls who he'd wanted to flirt with, or hear Pansy constantly rant about how half of the school's fashion choices looked like charity cases waiting to happen. She'd never hear Draco muttering something about 'Weasley's over there' in her ear while they walked by, and she'd never feel his breath against the side of her neck like she did right before he pulled away. 

Back to reality, Harry and Ginny were both looking at her like she was dumb, which she clearly wasn't. 

"Hermione, first of all, if you really think Astoria Greengrass can even compare to you, then you're not as smart as we thought you were." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

Hermione was a bit baffled. "Huh? Wait, no, Gin, I didn't... what?"

"Well, she has no personality, horrid grades, and possibly the most dull appearance out of anyone at Hogwarts..." The red-headed girl began. "She tries so hard to be Pansy Parkinson because of her own lack of personality and she brags constantly about being with Draco. She's probably the most shallow person here."

Hermione butted in. "Gin, you don't even know her."

"Why are you defending her?" Ginny asked calmly.

The brunette shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I just don't want anyone to get their feelings hurt here."

Harry sighed. "Besides your own?"

Hermione turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"You're the one putting yourself at risk here. I mean, they're Slytherins. What good intentions could they possibly have with you. They tortured us for years and looked for every possible reason to hate us. Now, suddenly, they're acting all friendly with you? Hermione, they're probably using you for something they want. Then they're gonna get it and never talk to you again." Harry told her. 

She sighed. "I... I'm not going to let them." Was the best answer she could get out. None of it was even real. Things would go back to normal eventually, maybe she'd get Ron back, and she'd never have a decent conversation with the Slytherins again. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to actually become lifelong friends with any of them." She replied sarcastically. 

Ginny took another bite of a pastry. "As long as you aren't getting hurt." She stated. The youngest Weasley was, perhaps, the fiercest of the family and extremely protective of her loved ones. If you messed with someone she cared about, you were subject to getting hexed with her well-known Bat Bogey hex, which wasn't pretty. "The second one of them fucks something up, they're getting hexed, I hope you know that." She reminded Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

"I know, I know. I'll be fine, Ginny." Hermione said, slightly annoyed.

She looked over at the Slytherin table just in time to see Astoria talking to Draco. She didn't look as energetic as usual, she hadn't thrown her arms around him and confessed her undying love yet that day, but it didn't look like anything was wrong, so Hermione let out a relieved sigh. The last thing she needed was to be painted as in the school was the girl who got in between Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. 

Suddenly Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were walking over to the Gryffindor table while Draco was talking to Astoria. Hermione gulped. What on earth could they want? He wasn't there, so it probably wasn't anything good.

But for some reason, Blaise and Pansy approached the table with a smile. "Hermione, wanna walk to class with us?" Blaise asked, looking over at Harry and Ginny.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, uh, sure." She replied, standing up and grabbing her things.

"Hey, do you two wanna come?" Pansy butted in, and Harry's mouth nearly fell open. He looked at Hermione with this  _'What the hell is going on?'_ kind of expression and she just shrugged, nudging him forwards.

Harry stood up, and Ginny followed. "Um, sure." 

It was probably the most awkward first two minutes of her life. Hermione was walking beside Harry in silence. Trailing behind them, though, Blaise and Ginny were eagerly in a discussion about quidditch, which Hermione couldn't understand because Blaise didn't even play. Apparently, he knew a lot more about it than he revealed. 

When she looked to her side, Harry had begun an awkward introduction with Pansy. 

"Parkinson... hello." Harry said, rubbing his arm.

Pansy dipped her head. "Hi, Pothea- Potter. Potter, right. Sorry." 

"So, I guess we're friends now, or something?"

Pansy shrugged. "I guess?"

Hermione nearly burst into laughter at the sight of Pansy and Harry attempting to have civil conversation. She knew they were both doing it for their own reasons. Pansy was doing it for Draco, Harry was doing it for Hermione.

Hermione looked to her other side and suddenly there he was, tall and blonde. "Hey, how the hell did you get here?" She said with a light gasp of surprise.

Draco turned to her with a smirk. "I've been walking with you all for the past five minutes." He began, snickering. 

"You... what? How?" Hermione asked, confusion reflecting in her features. 

"I'm kidding, I just snuck up behind you now. So, Ginny and Blaise seem to be hitting it off." The blonde commented as he turned to view the two of them excitedly babbling on and on about something. 

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, it's weird. Look at Harry and Pansy."

At least those two had started some kind of conversation. It didn't look as painfully awkward as it had before, and Pansy was actually smiling a bit from some comment Harry had made.

"Wow. Yeah, this is weird." Draco remarked, looking at everyone. "Am I dreaming? This doesn't feel real."

Hermione reached over and pinched him. "Not dreaming, but I'm pretty sure this would be more of a nightmare for you."

Draco winced at the pinch and chuckled dryly. "That's in the past, now isn't it? I thought you Gryffindors were all about forgiveness?"

"Most of us." She said. "I think I'm just happy about the fact that I just got to cause you slight physical pain."

"Ouch, Granger. I think that hurt more than the pinch." He said with that light, teasing smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe your pain tolerance just sucks, Malfoy."

One by one, everyone made it to their classes. Hermione still had a smile on her face by the time she and Harry got to Divination, thinking about what had just happened between everyone. For the second or third time, she felt like they were real human beings, and apparently Harry thought the same thing. He and Pansy had been talking the entire walk and it'd gone well, considering it was... Harry and Pansy. Blaise and Ginny really hit it off too, laughing and talking about quidditch. Plus, that was the first time she and Draco had a voluntarily friendly conversation rather than just neutral discussions in Potions. 

Throughout Divination, Harry seemed to have a different kind of look in his eye, but Hermione couldn't quite place it. She simply went through class, getting excited to go to Potions. She, Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Harry had that class together. The only person missing was Ginny, who was a year below them. 

Class ended, and Harry and Hermione met up just outside of the Divination classroom. "Hermione, so... I've been thinking." Harry began as the two of them walked down to the Potions corridor go to their next class.

Hermione looked over at him. "Hmm?" She hummed in response.

"I mean... you're right. They aren't that bad." Harry said sheepishly.

Hermione grinned. "Harry, when am I wrong?"

He rolled his eyes. "True, true. I mean, I'm still hesitant about Malfoy, but Pansy is actually... nice. Plus, Ginny and Blaise seemed to be getting along, so I doubt I'll have problems with him unless he tries to steal Ginny away from me." The shaggy-haired boy said with a light smile.

She nodded. "Yeah, well, I don't think he'd do anything like that, for starters. Second, Ginny loves you, she isn't going anywhere." She told him, elbowing him lightly. He nodded. 

"As for Draco, just _try_ and have a civil discussion without ripping each others' heads off." Hermione suggested, shrugging lightly. "It can't hurt to try."

"Yeah, unless he rips my head off." Harry said, glaring at the girl walking beside him. She just chuckled.

She smirked. "I won't let him."

"You better not, you know you need me in your life. I wouldn't be any good dead. Oh, Merlin, imagine me as a ghost." Harry said, chuckling. Hermione laughed along with him. 

As the two of them rounded the corner, they saw two Slytherins talking outside of the Potions classroom and before they noticed them, the two Gryffindors dipped into an alcove. Hermione immediately recognized Pansy's voice.

"Okay, they aren't that bad. Maybe we were wrong." Pansy said, a sheepish tone to her voice.

Blaise cut in. "Maybe? Pans, we were pretty damn far from right. I actually enjoyed having conversation with a Gryffindor today. They're turning us soft."

Pansy responded. "Yeah, well, they're already turning you soft."

"Oh please, everyone knows I have a soft spot."

"Hah, you're weak Zabini."

"Oh, and you aren't? Enjoying a nice little discussion with Potter, hmm?"

Hermione could hear Pansy elbowing Blaise, followed by a groan.

"Someone's defensive. Ooooooh, you like him don't you?"

"Ugh, shut up Blaise. As if!"

"I bet you've always had secret feelings for him, haven't you? Oh, I do love a good forbidden romance."

Pansy elbowed him again. "Blaise Romano Zabini, I do not and I have not! Get off my case!" She sounded flustered.

Realizing class was about to start, Hermione nudged Harry and the two of them slipped out of the alcove and into the corridor. Pansy and Blaise immediately got quiet, but it was impossible to miss the smirk and look that Blaise threw Pansy's way when Harry walked by, or her stepping on his foot on purpose and sarcastically apologizing for it.

Hermione walked into the classroom to see her cauldron already sitting out and Draco putting the final stirs on his before covering it back up. She made her way to the back and quickly uncovered it, stirred seven times counter clockwise, and covered it back up again. Draco took their cauldrons back to their resting spot and came back. It was becoming a routine.

"So, looks like our friends get along, huh?" Draco commented, looking over at something.

Hermione nodded, searching for what he was looking at before finding it. Pansy was talking to Harry from the table in front of him, turning around every few sentences or whenever he said something stupid. No one really knew what to make of this, the school's Gryffindor golden boy talking to the Slytherin Prince's right hand girl.

"Potter and Pansy... well, can't say I didn't see that coming." Draco said with a shrug before turning back to look at Hermione.

She raised a brow, eyes widening. "Wait what do you mean?"

"Oh please, Hermione." Draco began. "She's been staring at him for the past four years. You're supposed to be the brightest witch of our age, don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

"Wow, I uh... I thought she was staring at him in pure disgust for the most part." Hermione said, baffled. 

"No, that's how I looked at him. Pansy just doesn't know how to express her feelings." Draco said nonchalantly as he fiddled with his hands. "Personally, I'm still cold towards him."

The brunette nodded. "Yeah... he's the same with you. I... I think you two should talk things out."

Draco snorted, chuckling dryly. "Hermione, our families have hated each other for centuries. Why should we change that?"

"I don't know, you could affect your family for generations." She suggested. "Someday they'll tell stories of how after centuries, great great grandfather Draco Malfoy formed an alliance with the ancient Potter family." Hermione said, doing her best fancy Pureblood accent.

Draco laughed softly. "I'll talk to him, but only because you said so. Don't expect us to become best friends."

"Trust me, I expect nothing." She said, looking over at him. "I mean, I didn't expect you to be okay with me breathing in your direction, but here we are, walking to class and blending our friend groups."

Draco smirked. "Oh yeah, snakes and lions romping through the halls of Hogwarts."

"Well today it looked like some snakes might have been shedding their old skin and changing their ways." Hermione stated. 

The blonde raised a brow. "Please,  _kitten_ , you're just trying to make my snakes all soft and emotional."

Hermione smirked back. "Well it's working, isn't it?"

Draco looked over her shoulder to see Harry and Pansy smiling and joking around.

"Yeah, I suppose it is."


	8. Goody-Two-Shoes Granger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco does a lot of thinking. Day 6 of Potions comes along as well.

Draco couldn't believe what he was doing. He was actually talking to Potter in a civilized manner. It was truly disgusting.

After Potions had ended, he, Pansy, and Blaise had headed back to the Slytherin Dungeons. Pansy was going on and on about how different Potter was compared to what she'd originally thought of him. She said he was kind, funny, and smart. Draco had just chuckled the entire time. She sounded truly hopeless. He'd thought something was happening between Potter and Ginny Weasley, but he wasn't sure. He didn't want to burst Pansy's bubble, she seemed genuinely happy to be talking to him.

Blaise talked about how Ginny wasn't actually as annoying as he'd thought. She knew a lot about quidditch and both of them had the same favorite team, the Holyhead Harpies. Ginny said it was her dream to play for them, and Blaise just said that all the players were hot women, so how could he not like them?

It was weird, having the Gryffindors around. His friends seemed to like them, and Draco actually didn't mind them that much either. They seemed nice enough, perhaps they'd misjudged those lions. 

Hermione had asked him, in Potions, to talk to Potter. He hated him, why should he? He got thinking about the things she'd told him and decided it couldn't hurt. He wouldn't like it, but she seemed determined to make it happen. Besides, maybe he'd slip something in about Pansy and see how Potter reacted. 

Draco found himself walking over to Potter and greeting him while he, Blaise, and Pansy were on their way back to the Slytherin common room from the library. After Blaise and Pansy left, he stopped Potter.

"Potter... can we talk?" Draco asked.

The shaggy-haired boy looked over at him and nodded. "I suppose so, I guess I have a few things to say."

The blonde nodded. "Er... Hermione wanted me to talk to you."

Harry dipped his head. "Yeah, she does stuff like that a lot. Listen, Malfoy, I don't like you and I know you don't like me. Why don't we just strike up an alliance for her? Otherwise we're going to fight every ten seconds and we both know it." He explained.

Draco agreed completely. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"But seriously, if any of you snakes hurt her, I'll hunt you down. I really don't know much about this situation, but I do know that I'm not going to let my best friend get hurt if I can stop it." He said, looking over at Draco, who nodded.

"I won't hurt her, Potter. At least I won't try to. Look, we can shake on it. No harsh teasing, no mean comments, no fighting." He said, reaching out his hand.

Potter shook on it.

"Deal, but I'm not calling you anything besides Malfoy." He said with a glare.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to stop calling you Potter, either."

"Good. I guess we're at an agreement then."

"Yep."

"Hey, wait." Harry said as Draco was turning around. 

He nodded. "What?"

"D... does Pansy ever talk about me?" Harry asked.

Draco chuckled. "Find out for yourself. She's over there." He nudged.

Surely enough, Pansy and Blaise were waiting for Draco outside. Harry just nodded at Draco, mouthed 'thank you' and walked over to the two of them.

Yeah, it was weird having everyone getting along. He was waiting for a fight to break out between someone, but knew he wouldn't be starting it. Besides, he was actually beginning to enjoy being around Hermione, and if Pansy had something in her heart for Harry, then Draco would behave himself around him. He'd do almost anything for Pansy, seeing as she was like a sister to him, even if it meant being nice to Potter, his sworn enemy.

But then again, the Gryffindors didn't seem to be that bad. 

Draco chuckled to himself as he thought back on his friend's pathetic crush on Harry Potter himself. The entire group had made fun of her for it for years, but Pansy kept her head held high. Never once did she tease them in return, but they always figured she was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She was just as Slytherin as the rest of them. However, underneath that bitchy appearance, Pansy had the heart of a Hufflepuff. She was more sensitive than she liked to admit, but Draco knew it. 

After that, it was Draco and Pansy. Pansy and Draco. They were like two peas in a pod and became more like siblings than friends. Most of the people their age assumed they were dating, and the pair became an inside joke along their friend group. They'd all hang out at Malfoy Manor and laugh at the ridiculous headlines that Rita Skeeter printed about them. The arranged marriage rumors had been one thing, but when Pansy was seen walking through Hogsmeade holding hands with Tracey Davis, the rumors got insane.

The next day, the Daily Prophet headlines were insane.

_Parkinson Heiress, Lesbian?!_

_Is The Parkinson Family Bloodline Coming to an End?_

_Pansy Parkinson seen with a... girl!_

Pansy was miserable. Her family was going crazy and she was now stuck in the middle of a media war. Draco was furious, so were Blaise and Theo. It was half-true, though. Pansy couldn't hide herself forever.

She was bisexual. Draco had known the longest. She'd ended up crying on his shoulder and talking about how she had a crush on Ginny Weasley. She sobbed for hours about how no one was going to accept her, and he assured her that as long as he was around she wasn't going to get shit from anyone. If they messed with her, they messed with him. Soon after, Theo and Blaise found out and Pansy walked down the halls with an entourage of bodyguards. 

As the years went on, the group became closer and closer. Theo, Blaise, and Draco came to Pansy with girl problems. She went to them with all of her issues. They had their own little family with each other. Together, they felt like normal teenagers. 

Not the heirs to billionaire pureblood families.

They didn't feel the responsibilities of their futures pressing on their shoulders. They laughed, cried, and smiled with each other. It was an escape from the worlds they left at home away from Hogwarts. 

The school was their safe space. There, although they were treated differently by a lot of the other students, they were still students just like anyone else. No cameras flashing in their faces. No lectures on looking presentable for the media. Their biggest issues were failing tests and getting caught pranking other students and running in the hallways. They didn't think about their futures and arranged marriages, legal documents, running family businesses... it was all in the back of their minds. 

Draco snapped back into reality, looking over at Pansy and Blaise, who had been joined by Potter. The three of them were talking absentmindedly while the blonde watched them before deciding to leave and head to his class early. He walked past, murmuring a "see you later" to the two Slytherins and Gryffindor Prince himself, leaving the area and walking outside. 

One step and a breeze greeted him, the scent of the autumn air felt nice and crisp against his smooth skin. There were a few things on his mind now.

The first thing was the scent of his Amortentia. What was he going to smell? He was trying to connect the dots in his mind and try to predict it already, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Part of his fate and future was sitting in a cauldron in the Potions classroom under a cabinet, covered with a silken cloth, right next to Granger's. 

That was the second thing- Granger. Well, Hermione, now. She wasn't so bad, he'd always underestimated her when it came to personality. Part of him wanted to get to know her. He wanted to see what she was really like when she didn't have her head in a book. Perhaps she liked to bake, or even fly- no, Potter mentioned she had a fear of heights. She could possibly have dreams of being an auror or probably a professor at Hogwarts. He realized he didn't know her at all. Maybe she was secretly a freak in the bedroom. 

Draco shook his head to himself. No, too far. Or perhaps not far enough.

She was quite enticing. Petite with perfect proportions. Long legs, a small waist, and an excellent bust. Deep down he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of her before while jerking off when he was bored and hormonal, but he'd never say it out loud. She seemed like such a prude for the longest time. During the earlier years, her skirts were always too long and if he stared at her for a few seconds and she noticed, he'd get glared at by that amber gaze. She always covered herself up.

As she grew, though, Merlin, she grew. Her skirts became shorter and her uniforms fit like a dream. Draco used to make fun of her hair, which used to be bushy and untamed. Those locks formed into beautifully defined chestnut waves that he wanted to run his hands through. 

Draco shivered to himself and shook the thoughts away.

He wondered what Hermione's potion would smell like. He thought about what her future might end up being. Perhaps she'd become a professor at Hogwarts and live alone. Maybe she'd graduate, marry a dunce like Weasley, have a bunch of children, and be a stay-at-home mother. Draco nearly laughed. The thought of Hermione as any kind of stay-at-home woman tending to children seemed so foreign to him. She was always quite independent. If Potter and Weasley weren't with her, she'd still get everything done.

They needed her, though. Sometimes he saw her tutoring the two of them in the library. 

There was something so attractive about a woman who didn't need anyone. An independent girl with her own strengths. 

He never seemed to have those girls flock to him.

The girls who liked Draco were needy. They wanted his money, family name, and the fame that came with all of it. Asking for favors both material and social were frequent happenings in Draco's life, and he just learned to deal with it. He used it to his advantage. Many people owed him for things he'd done for them. It gave him a sense of power that was even bigger than what he already had. Still, he didn't want to marry a needy woman or deal with constant begging.

That was one of the reasons he was friends with Pansy, Blaise, and Theo. They had similar problems as he did. They didn't need anyone's money, fame, or fortune. They had their own.

Suddenly, Draco perked up as he heard a familiar voice. It was Looney Lovegood, that nut-job Ravenclaw girl. He rolled his eyes, scoffing to himself, before deciding to listen in on what she was saying. 

"I think they'd make a lovely couple." Luna spoke as she walked beside Hannah Abbot and the two of them rounded the corner. Draco dipped behind a pillar, hoping they didn't see him. Relationship drama, how typical.

"Yeah, but Hermione would never." Hannah replied, snickering. "She's smarter than that. Everyone knows he wouldn't stick with her, he kicks girls out as quickly as he draws them in. He's a player. She's better than that."

Luna shrugged, her dreamy-eyed gaze looking down the hallway. Draco sucked in a breath as the two of them stopped. Hannah was facing the other direction while Luna was facing him. One wrong movement and he was busted. 

"I think he could challenge her. They could challenge each other." She said, her light voice lilting as she spoke.

The Hufflepuff girl with her chuckled. "Yeah. If he doesn't break her heart first. They'd fight like cats and dogs."

Draco nearly cursed when Luna's gaze met his. Her eyes were cold, a lot more piercing then he'd ever thought. Her lips turned up into a smirk. "Oh, I think they have more in common than you think." She spoke, but it seemed more directed at him than Hannah.

Suddenly Luna turned and began walking, Hannah following after her. The conversation changed, the two girls began chittering about some Hufflepuff boy that fancied Luna. Probably that Neville Longbottom kid. Draco huffed. 

The blonde boy ran a hand through his hair and silently slipped out from his hiding space. He began walking towards the Slytherin Dungeons and thoughts were swirling through his brain with each step. Who in Salazar's name were they talking about? Did Granger already have a new boyfriend? He hadn't really thought about what they were doing to make Ron jealous. Obviously he was in a relationship, so they weren't fake dating. They were just friends. 

Astoria... Draco didn't really know what he was doing with her either. He knew exactly what she wanted- a ring. Her family's future secured for generations. She wanted power. She wanted the title of being Draco Malfoy's girlfriend and future wife. She wanted to be on a pedestal, but Draco didn't know if he wanted to put her up there. He didn't know if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this girl who's only interests were shallow gossip and looking in the mirror. Of course, she had some good qualities to her, but she didn't think much. The two of them never had deep discussions or talked about the future, probably because Draco already knew exactly what she wanted. 

He'd hold on for a while. He'd do it for Astoria and he'd do it for Daphne. Besides, his parents weren't counting on him to find a wife just yet. They were a lot more relaxed about his future while he was at Hogwarts. Still, he knew in his seventh year he'd have to figure everything out. Meet a girl, bring her home, ask for his parents' approval, give her a ring, get married in a big, public wedding, and have a child that would be the heir to the Malfoy family. That was his future. 

He just wanted one year after graduation full of traveling; not worried about an arranged fiancée waiting for him at home or publicity. 

Just one year. 

Draco knew it was a long shot. He had his future planned out for him. It was the same for his future son and grandson, and every descendant of his after that down the line. It had been that way for generations. Although the traditions were outdated and quite frankly very annoying to Draco, he valued his family a lot. He knew better than to change the way things had been for so long. In the long run, the order and way things were was there to benefit him. 

It didn't make it any less agitating, though. He still wanted to be more normal. He wanted to meet a girl and fall in love with her on his own, not get shoved into an arranged marriage like everyone else in his family did. Still, he'd keep his mouth shut and his eye on the prize. 

Draco sighed softly. It was going to be a while before he really figured out his emotions. 

The rest of his evening went pretty smoothly. The clock struck midnight when Draco headed up to the Astronomy Tower, seeing Hermione Granger walking down the hallway in front of him. With a little jog, he caught up to her with a light smirk. "Evening, kitten."

Hermione looked up at him and cocked a brow, pushing a curl out of her face. "Hello there, Draco. Anything I could do for you?" She asked. 

Draco chuckled. "Nope. Don't look now but your buddy Weasley looks like he's about to have an aneurysm seeing me talking to you." He whispered as he leaned down to speak into her ear. 

The curly-haired brunette smirked, her amber eyes shimmering. "Perfect." 

Raising a brow, he looked down at her. "Hermione, are you... scheming?!" 

She shrugged lightly. "Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not." She said with a little smile, looking over at him.

Draco clutched his chest dramatically. "I... wow... the Gryffindor Princess with all her morals... is scheming with Draco Malfoy, the Prince of Snakes. Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor are rolling in their graves." He joked with a smile to match hers. 

Hermione was laughing softly when she gave him a light shove. It barely moved him considering their difference in size and strength. 

"I'm not _that_ much of a goody-two-shoes!" She defended.

Draco snickered lightly. "You told on half of your Gryffindor pals for having Firewhiskey during a victory party in your own common room."

"Okay, I was a second year and I'd never been around drinking before, can you really blame me?" She replied, batting her eyes in a joking way.

The blonde grinned. "Yes, yes I can."

A gust of cold air suddenly hit the two of them as they walked outside with their classmates, and Hermione shivered lightly. Draco noticed and refused to let her stand there and get cold, so he took off his Slytherin scarf and gently draped it around her neck. She looked up at him with a sense of innocence in her fiery eyes and for a moment of silence, the two connected before she smiled softly.

"Thanks, Draco."

"Of course. I'm not letting someone stand around and freeze to death, even if it's, Salazar forbid, a  _Gryffindor._ " Draco responded, dramatically shivering in disgust. 

Hermione rolled her eyes with a smirk and pathetically attempted to shove him again.

The Slytherin boy raised a brow and looked down at her. "Hermione, are you trying to hurt me?"

The Gryffindor raised a brow in return. "If I wanted to hurt you I'd pull out my wand."

"You have a point. No offense, but your physical attacks are very weak." Draco said with a challenging grin.

"How dare you, I'll have you know I once tackled Parvati Patil in our dorm when she threatened to tell Lavender Brown that I had a crush on Cormac McLaggen!" She attempted to defend herself.

Draco burst into laughter and Hermione into a fit of giggles with him as they walked. 

"Try to tackle me, I dare you." He challenged.

Hermione backed up and he stood still, the two of them facing each other. In that moment, he realized she looked like a little bull trying to charge at a giant matador. 

She ran at him and threw herself in the air, nearly smacking into his chest before he caught her, his larger hands holding her thighs. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and her arms were loosely draped around his neck. Both of them froze, not really knowing how to assess the situation, when suddenly Pansy walked past them and wolf-whistled with a smirk plastered on her face. They quickly repositioned themselves, Hermione back on the ground and the two of them walking side by side, both hiding their blushing cheeks. 

Draco was confused at this point. 

Why the hell did he feel so warm?

-

Astronomy went by smoothly. Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor Tower, still wearing Draco's scarf. He noticed but didn't say anything, he figured she'd realize it later. He was smirking a little bit when he realized that the Gryffindor Princess herself was wearing  _his_ scarf. She'd get a long list of questions about that when she walked into the Gryffindor common room.

Draco was walking back to the Slytherin Dungeons when Pansy chased him down and caught up to him.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Pansy giggled, grinning widely. 

The blonde in question turned over to look at the raven-haired witch, reaching out and ruffling her hair lightly with a smirk. "Pansy Lilith Parkinson!" He mimicked.

Pansy really was grinning ear to ear. "So, Granger, huh?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

He shook his head. "Oh, Salazar, Pans. No, that wasn't what it looked like."

"Are you suuuuure? I think it was exactly what it looked like." She replied.

Draco shook his head again. "No, seriously. We were joking around and I dared her to try and tackle me. We just ended up... moving together? It was weird but instinctive, I guess. Besides, I'm with Astoria, Pans."

"Oh, right. Little Greengrass and her Noble Snake Prince." She responded, crossing her arms. 

He sighed softly. "It's not like that, Pans..."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Draco, anyone with a pair of eyes can see that she's a lot more happy in this relationship than you are. There's no spark. On her side, there's a forest fire. On your side, an icy tundra covered in snow."

"Look, it's complicated Pansy." Draco said with a light sigh.

The black-haired witch huffed indignantly. "I just don't understand why you're putting yourself in a situation that doesn't make you happy."

"I don't think it's a good idea to end it now." He replied, scratching the back of his neck. 

"You've never had a problem with it before. As I can recall you're known for being a heartbreaker. Little Greengrass knew exactly what she was getting herself into, it isn't like you're some saint with the heart of a Hufflepuff." Pansy fired back. "She should know by now that she risked getting hurt the moment she said yes to you asking her out- no, not even. She should've known it the second she began developing feelings for you. Draco, everyone knows you aren't in love with her. It's just a fact at this point. I'm sorry that you think you can salvage something real with this relationship of yours but I'm not going to let you sit around and stand idly by while she parades around using you as some kind of social pedestal!" Pansy raised her voice slightly, the two of them standing still in the hallway. But she wasn't done yet. "You don't see it, but Blaise, Theo, and I do. Daphne probably does too, but she doesn't want to admit it. Astoria paints this picture of you as some kind of king. You're a fantasy for her. She wants your power, name, and glory, Draco. She doesn't want your heart."

Draco gulped, feeling defeated. He couldn't look up into Pansy's eyes. "Please, Pansy. It's so complicated. She... I..."

"Draco, don't bother explaining yourself, you know you can't at this point. I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm trying to be real. I love you, you're my brother, and we all have our duties to our family." Pansy began. "But I don't think you should just give up like this. You still have time and it isn't like you have a binding marriage contract. You can find someone, still. So can I. Theo? He doesn't have that luxury. He's been engaged to Daphne since they were children. Even Blaise's mother is trying to figure out something for him already. Now tell me this, Draco. Do you want to marry her?"

The blonde wizard sighed. "I... I..." He stuttered lightly.

"Draco, do. You. Want. To. Marry. Her."

"I don't know, Pansy! I can't just leave her, though!" Draco snapped.

"What, because you don't want to hurt her feelings? Because you don't want to upset Daphne?" Pansy replied, fiercely. "Or is it because you're afraid that the moment you're single and alone, you'll see something different in Hermione Granger's eyes and chase after her?"

Someone rounded one of the corners and the two of them fell silent, Pansy glaring daggers up at Draco. It was a frightened looking first year boy who quickly retreated into the common room, leaving the two sixth-years to talk things out. 

"Pansy, I'm not in love with Granger! She's insufferable, she's annoying, she-"

"Draco, sometimes you're ignorant, yes, but you aren't stupid." Pansy cut him off. "You used to have a crush on her. What are you so afraid of? Rejection? Last time I checked Draco Malfoy wasn't afraid of anything except that one creepy portrait of your great-great-great grandfather in your attic." Her tone was a lot more soft now. 

Her eyes looked up into his. "Sleep on it. I don't think you should let this chance go to waste." And with that, Pansy walked into the common room, murmuring the password as she stepped through the threshold and into the colder atmosphere. 

-

Draco didn't sleep on it. In fact, he didn't sleep at all. He spent his night staring at the ceiling, wondering what he was going to do. He was done denying the fact that his little crush on Hermione never faded, but he couldn't just abandon Astoria like that. Daphne, for starters, would kill him. He'd have to wait for an excuse. 

The next morning came faster than he imagined it would, and by the time breakfast rolled around, Draco was the first person in the Great Hall. Sitting alone, at the Slytherin table, he nibbled on a piece of toast. People shuffled into the hall as time passed, and eventually everyone was socializing. Talking about the previous nights, upcoming quidditch games, and all the latest gossip. Theo and Blaise came into the hall and sat down next to Draco, talking about some Gryffindor girl Blaise had made out with the night before, but the blonde wasn't really listening. He murmured responses every now and then, but his eyes were on the door, waiting for two girls in particular to walk in.

The first was Hermione.

Wearing her uniform topped by a Gryffindor jumper tucked into her skirt, she looked effortlessly nice. Knee high socks flattered her legs as she walked towards the Gryffindor table, waving to Luna Lovegood. Her eyes were full of amber sparks. 

Draco watched her sit down, his eyes barely leaving her. She didn't meet his gaze for the longest time, but when she did, he felt chills go down his spine. She smiled lightly at him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Draco swallowed nervously. 

As he heard his name being called, a sense of dread filled him. Over came Astoria, looking way too peppy for eight in the morning. She practically threw herself at him as she always did, and Draco never really met her gaze. He looked over at Hermione again, only to see her talking to Potter. 

Draco sighed. He was in too deep.

-

The rest of his day was a blur. In Transfiguration, Pansy kept looking at him, trying to figure out what he was feeling. After class she asked him what was going on in his mind to which he replied he had no idea and he was just as emotionally confused as she was. They had yet another small argument over what he was going to do. She told him it wasn't fair to him or Astoria to stay in that relationship.

He knew Pansy was right. He couldn't keep lying to Astoria and acting like he was so in love with her when he knew deep down he wasn't. It was just... wrong. Draco was ambitious, sometimes cold, and also a Slytherin, but he wasn't straight up cruel. He had a heart. He didn't want to hurt her any more than he knew he already was. 

Draco made it to Potions in one piece. He sighed lightly, seeing Hermione in the back with their cauldrons both out. He watched as she gingerly stirred her potion, counting the amount of stirs before covering it back up and placing her cauldron under their cabinet. She still hadn't noticed he was there, but when she looked up to see the blonde standing at the front of the classroom, a bright smile appeared on her face. He walked over to their table at the back, smiling at her. 

"Afternoon, kitten." Draco greeted cooly with a light smirk.

Hermione smirked right back sarcastically. "Well hello, Mr. Malfoy. It would seem that you're thirty seconds late. As a goody-two-shoes I would know this because I time everyone's arrival and departure to make sure everything is right on the line." She teased, raising a brow.

Draco chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Alright, alright, calm down. You're not _that_ bad."  

"Damn right I'm not!" She replied. 

The Slytherin snickered lightly as he stirred his potion. Seven times counter-clockwise, it was routine at this point. Placing it under the cabinet and returning to the table where Hermione was waiting was another part. 

"It worked!" Hermione said with a smile. 

Draco tilted his head. "Hmm? What worked?"

The brunette Gryffindor was grinning from ear to ear. "Ron's jealous. He told Harry he made a mistake and he wants me back."

Draco's heart dropped. Suddenly the ceiling was too low and his Slytherin tie was too tight around his neck. The room was too hot. 

"A-... are you going to take him back?" Draco asked, swallowing nothing.

Hermione shrugged before shaking her head. "I don't know... I honestly don't think so."

Relief spread through his body like a wildfire.  _Thank Salazar._

"I think I just wanted him to feel some kind of karma, or at least remorse. What he did was truly cruel. I mean, Lavender Brown, of all people. She's a bitch. Ron's an asshole. Perfect match."

Draco bit back a laugh but ended up chuckling. "Watch your mouth, kitten, Slughorn will lose his mind if the Gryffindor Golden Girl starts swearing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't care at this point. I said what I said and I'll have you know that I mean it with every fibre of my being. Neither of them matter anyways. All Ron wants in a girl is tits and a love for cooking." She said nonchalantly. 

The Malfoy heir was laughing quietly. "He sounds shallow."

"Oh, he is." The Gryffindor replied, crossing her arms. "I mean, really, he forgot my birthday three years in a row, constantly needed tutoring, and never once thanked me."

"I saw you tutoring him in the library a lot, especially last year." Draco commented. 

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, because he's practically failing all of his classes. He has a one track mind and the attention span of a pixie. Always flittering from one thought to another and never stopping to remember what's important and what isn't. Don't even get me started on Lavender, it's hard enough having her as a roommate. That girl has more drama than anyone else I know."

"Salazar, Hermione. Sounds like life in the lion's den hasn't been too nice." Draco said, looking over at her.

She shrugged. "Enough about me, how's... Astoria?" She asked, clearly searching for a reason to hold conversation.

Draco sighed. "She's... interesting. I'm thinking of calling things off, though."

Hermione seemed surprised. "Really, why? You look so romantic every time she flings herself at you every chance she gets."

Draco nodded. "Oh I'm not- wait, you're being sarcastic, hmm?"

"Yep." She replied. 

"Yeah, well, she's just... she's not as bad as people make her out to be, I swear. I don't want to hurt her but I don't know how long I can keep pretending to be the loyal, devoted boyfriend of Miss Astoria Greengrass." He murmured with a light sigh.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?" 

"Be honest with her. Don't do what Ron did to me." Hermione began. "You need to tell her, and tell her as soon as you can. The longer you let this fester, the worse it's going to be when you end it. She's going to fall deeper and deeper for you the more you wait."

Draco nodded. "You're right..." He muttered. 

"Oh please, I'm Hermione Granger. Of course I'm right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god this is so late. Sorry about this chapter, I've been so busy recently. My birthday was on the 2nd so I was out with my friends. Besides that I've been super busy with classes! I'll be writing a lot more after the holiday season is over, but for now I'll try and get a few chapters up every week.


	9. An Unlikely Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 of Potions and Hermione and Pansy form a friendship... and a plan to help Harry.

Hermione was confused, to say the least. Sexually, emotionally, and romantically.

Sexually? Well, the last time she touched herself she'd ended up thinking of Draco Malfoy's hands caressing every inch of her body and moaned his name during her release. Thank god Parvati and Lavender were down in the common room celebrating a quidditch victory with the rest of the house. She'd had the room all to herself and had every intention of taking advantage of that state. No roommates? Time for some action.

Emotionally? She didn't know how she felt towards Ron. Obviously he was her friend, but she was just so angry. Was she really less to him than Lavender Brown? Why hadn't he just been honest with her and straight up said that he wanted to be with Lavender? She would've still been upset but it would've been a lot better than catching him kissing her in one of the alcoves in the hallway. She felt so many different things: angry, disappointed, annoyed... all towards him. Lavender? Well... she was Lavender. Hermione honestly didn't care about what her roommate did as long as she wasn't involved negatively. Since the whole Ron incident, they hadn't really talked. Hermione simply ignored her in the dorm and pretended not to see her when she purposely shoved her tongue down Ron's throat every time she walked by. It was annoying, yes, but Hermione figured karma would do its work sooner or later. 

Romantically? Hermione was a wreck. She didn't even have the slightest of clues as to what was going on inside her heart. All she knew was that she felt something when she was in Draco's arms. Something she hadn't felt before. Perhaps it was a spark or maybe a chill, she wasn't sure. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced. She liked it. Still, she felt like she was losing her mind over it. Hermione knew it was a disaster waiting to happen- her and Draco? That was impossible. He was the Slytherin Prince, prized boyfriend of Astoria Greengrass. She was Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess and the bookish girl who never seemed to be in any kind of relationship besides the ones she'd had with Viktor Krum and Ron. She'd had a fling with Cormac McLaggen once in fourth year but it was only a kiss under the mistletoe and a few days of talking before they made their separate ways. Still, there was something about Draco that pulled her in. He was so utterly enticing. White-blonde hair that Hermione could only imagine felt better than silk, pale skin without a single flaw, a face that looked like it had been chiseled by the Gods, and crystalline grey eyes... he was any girl's fantasy. There was no way he'd want the bookworm. 

Looking to her side, she saw the green and silver scarf by her bedside and immediately blushed, remembering the previous night in Astronomy. She'd just run off with Draco's scarf! It did give some explanation to the weird looks her housemates gave her when she came into the common room. She'd completely forgotten to give it back to him.

Hermione bit her lip. She'd just give it to him in Potions in the afternoon.

Her thoughts were swirling through her mind as she stayed in her bed, laying down on her side. The previous day had gone well, she'd ended up talking to Draco about both of their relationship problems. He told her he wanted to end things with Astoria. Hermione didn't really know what was going to happen afterwards, but she had a pretty good idea in her head of the events to follow their breakup. Astoria would disappear from popularity and Draco would go back to his old ways- breaking hearts and having his pick of the girls at Hogwarts. He'd do what he used to do, flirt with a girl for a week, maybe make out with her, and then break her heart. Maybe shag someone here and there. Hermione didn't think he'd ever really fall into a real relationship, and if he did the girl had to be the literal definition of perfect. 

Not some freckled, brown-eyed pale-skinned girl with wavy brown hair and a petite frame.

Boys like Draco Malfoy always got the beautiful girls like Astoria Greengrass. Tall, limber builds with perfect proportions. Tan complexions, stunning light eyes, long, straight hair. All things Hermione didn't exactly have to her advantage. 

Not some bookworm.

Boys like Draco Malfoy always got the popular girls like Pansy Parkinson. Sharp-tongued, witty, and charming. Even more things Hermione didn't have. 

Not some prude. 

Boys like Draco Malfoy always got the vixens like Fleur Delacour. Stunning and vivacious, seductive and flirtatious. She couldn't get anywhere near in a comparison. It wouldn't even be fair to her at that point. 

Hermione felt... defeated. She felt dumb. Why did she even let those thoughts come into her head in the first place? Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger would ever happen. That was just the way things had to be.

Sighing softly, Hermione ran a hand through her soft brown waves, the curls separating as her fingers brushed through them. She was in her bed in the dorm. Parvati and Lavender were still asleep.

She sat up and peeked over at Lavender's bed.

Well, Lavender wasn't asleep.

Hermione groaned, realization hitting her.

She was probably in Ron's bed.

Lavender had a habit of sneaking out of the dormitory to run off with whatever boy that had the misfortune of being entangled in the dramatic clutches of the Gryffindor girl. She was truly a walking tragedy. 

Scoffing, the brunette shoved those thoughts out of her mind. She and Ron never actually had sex... but he'd probably done it with Lavender fifteen times by now. Hermione wasn't quite sure when he'd started hanging around her before she caught them. 

With a sigh, the Gryffindor stood up and quietly got ready for the day, leaving the sleeping Parvati Patil in her bed. 

Slipping into the common room, she saw several of her classmates were already awake. The room got quiet when she entered and then the talking continued. Strange...

Hermione almost made her way to the Great Hall but ended up bumping into none other than Pansy Parkinson on the way. The Slytherin girl stopped her and pulled her into one of the alcoves in the hallways. 

"Granger, can we talk?" Pansy asked. For the first time, Hermione saw genuine concern on her face.

The Gryffindor shrugged lightly. "I'm not quite sure, I don't really want to end up getting insulted right now."

Pansy sighed. "Listen, Hermione... I'm sorry, okay? I've been a bitch to you and I'm sorry. Truth be told, I always sort of admired you."

Hermione nearly choked on her own breath. An apology from Pansy Parkinson was the last thing she expected to hear, but it meant a lot to her. 

"Wow, Pansy... thanks. What do you need to talk about?" She asked, trying to clear the awkwardness that had been resting between them.

"I... um... I like Harry." Pansy said, looking absolutely terrified. 

Hermione nodded. "I know."

Pansy sputtered on her words for a moment. "I... you... huh? What? You know? What do you mean you know?!"

The brunette chuckled. "I know. I've seen the way you look at him." She wasn't about to rat Draco out for telling her and possibly cause drama between the two. That was the last thing she wanted. 

The Slytherin girl leaned against one of the walls. "Wow... I never really thought... yeah, I guess it was a bit obvious..." She said with a sheepish smile.

Hermione returned the smile, hers a bit wider. "Look, I gotta tell you because I don't want you to get hurt even though you've done quite a bit of damage to Harry and my self esteem. Right now, he's with Ginny, and I think they're happy together." She said bluntly. 

"I know. I just... I needed to get it off my chest. I'm not going to get in between the two of them, but I think someone already has..." Pansy murmured. 

Hermione raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Pansy bit her lip. "I could tell you, but you might not believe me... it's better if I just show you."

With that, the Gryffindor allowed her new Slytherin friend to lead her down near where the Slytherin Dungeons were. Pressing one finger to her lip to signify being quiet, Pansy tip toed forwards with Hermione trailing behind until they peeked around one of the pillars. 

Hermione nearly fell over at the sight.

Her best friend. Harry Potter's girlfriend. Ron's sister...

Ginny was snogging Blaise Zabini. 

Not a chaste kiss like she'd seen with Ron and Lavender.

They were practically having sex with their clothes on. Grinding against each other. Blaise was holding up Ginny's leg which was hoisted up by his waist. One of her arms was wrapped loosely around his neck and the other was cupping his cheek. Their breathing was matching and heavy. 

Hermione was in shock. It was so unlike Ginny.

Pansy quickly took out a quill and threw it across from them to cause a distraction. Blaise and Ginny broke apart and Pansy seized the moment, grabbing Hermione's hand and quickly running off before they were spotted.

Hermione's jaw was nearly hitting the floor. 

"Pansy... what... was that real? Did I just see that with my own eyes? Am I dreaming?" She stuttered.

Pansy shook her head. "No, actually, they've been doing this since you and Draco started talking that one day. I didn't think she and Potter were exclusive..."

"Harry has to know about this." Hermione said. 

The raven-haired witch beside her nodded. "I know. Still, if I tell him he might not believe me. He might think I'm just jealous and trying to get him away from the Weasley girl."

The Gryffindor nodded softly. "I know. That's why we'll do it together. Or, we could set it up. Has Blaise actually told you about what he's doing with Ginny?"

Pansy nodded. "Yeah, he told us yesterday. I don't think he knows she's with Harry. Otherwise, I seriously doubt he'd do anything like this. But please, before you judge Blaise, he has a story too. He isn't some homewrecker."

Hermione sighed. "I won't judge him. I know there are two sides to every story. I just don't want any of my friends getting hurt and I know you feel the same way about yours. Anyways, just ask him when and where he's meeting up with her. I'll take Harry wherever it is and find some excuse and we can 'accidentally' bump into them."

The Slytherin was fiddling with her fingers nervously. "Okay... I'll ask him during breakfast. We can meet up after Charms and figure out what to do from there?"

"Okay, sounds like a plan. I'm worried though. I don't want Harry to get hurt, he might take it out on himself and think it's his fault. He cares so much about Ginny but I don't think he's in love with her. I just... I'm anxious." She replied.

Pansy looked over at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Me too, Hermione. But it needs to be done."

Hermione nodded. "I know. Harry doesn't deserve to be lied to like this. Don't get me wrong, Ginny's one of my good friends, but I'm not happy with her for this..."

Nodding, the Slytherin girl sighed. "I really don't think Blaise knows, please don't blame him for it. He wouldn't do that to Harry."

The brunette ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "I won't. Walk me to breakfast?"

Pansy smiled. "Alright."

-

Breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Pansy and Hermione had a pretty pleasant conversation on their way to the Great Hall before going their separate ways, Pansy heading to the Slytherin table and Hermione heading to the Gryffindor one. 

While she sat there, eating a piece of toast, she just couldn't look at Ginny or Harry the same. Ginny was sitting on Harry's lap munching on a piece of bacon while he laughed at something she'd said. Now that Hermione knew the truth, she could see some distance in Ginny's eyes. She constantly tried to look over at the Slytherin table. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it really was. 

Hermione just felt bad. Harry was her best friend and Ginny was another one of her close friends, but nothing about this situation was good. Something she'd learned about Ginny throughout the years was that she was very impulsive. She acted on her first thought and really didn't think about anything else. Perhaps she was lonely and Blaise happened to be there, or maybe their conversation the other day stuck with her. Still, Harry deserved better.

In Hermione's eyes, Harry deserved the world. He'd been there for her through thick and thin. Throughout their childhoods too, Harry was always by her side. When she fell off her first broom, he was the one to pick her up and help her dust herself off. He was always there. 

A lot of people thought Harry and Hermione were... romantically involved. At one point, they'd both had a little mutual crush on each other. They kissed in Harry's backyard when they were young. Their crush stayed with them for a while but eventually faded as the two of them aged. It became very clear that they were meant to be best friends. Still, the media didn't care. Anytime they showed each other any kind of affection in public, there were headlines saying the two of them were going to get married. 

Young love. How... stirring. One of the articles had said that. 

Harry and Hermione were only thirteen when they read it, sitting in Hermione's room. Harry was laying halfway off of her bed while she was on the floor. The two of them laughed until their sides hurt from that one. 

To them, the concept of being together was just so ironic. Everyone expected it. Two childhood best friends realize they were meant for each other and end up getting married and having kids, blah blah blah. It just wasn't for them.

They knew each other too well to be lovers. 

Ginny on the other hand? She'd always had a little crush on Harry. Every time he went over to the Weasleys, she'd stare at him with those big green eyes. Hermione used to make fun of the two of them for it and it was no surprise when they finally got together. 

Still, even Hermione didn't expect it to last too long. She knew they were bound to come across something that just made it hard for them to work out. She just didn't expect that it would be this soon... or this situation. 

"Mione?" Harry said, suddenly snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.

Perking up, she looked over at the raven-haired boy. "Hmm?"

Harry was smiling. That smile nearly broke her heart. He looked so happy with her... if only he knew what was really going on behind the scenes. "Ginny was trying to tell you something."

Hermione looked over at the redhead who was mirroring Harry's smile. "Okay, so, Ron pulled me aside yesterday. He said he saw you and Malfoy during Astronomy, he's really jealous. I heard he broke up with Lavender." Ginny began. "He told me he's determined to get you back. Isn't it great?"

The brunette nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, um... here's the thing..."

"Oh no..." Harry groaned. 

"You see, I don't... um... I really don't think I'm going to get back with him..." She said, cringing slightly as she waited for Ginny's response. 

The younger Gryffindor tilted her head. "What? Why not? I thought the plan was to make him jealous and then get him to come back to you."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted him to feel bad? I mean, looking back, Ron and I... we weren't really going to last that long anyways, I'm honestly glad it ended when it did. Besides, I'm pretty sure Lavender spent the night with him last night anyways."

Ginny nodded. "Oh... well, I can't really say I saw that coming, but I'm glad you've made up your mind."

Hermione didn't really know how to respond. She truly was at a loss for words.

-

Charms came along and finally, it was time to meet up with Pansy. Walking outside of the classroom, she waited for a moment before the Slytherin came out after her and the two began walking towards the Great Hall for lunch. They ended up stopping in one of the less crowded hallways to talk over their plan.

"So, Blaise told me he's going to meet up with Ginny after sixth period in the corridor around Slughorn's classroom. If we time it correctly, it'll look like a casual run-in when you and Harry come around. Be careful though, Blaise can usually tell when something happens on purpose."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, thanks Pansy. Seriously, thank you." She said, looking over at the Slytherin.

The raven-haired witch smiled softly. "Hey, consider it a little bit of payback for all those years I spent torturing you."

The Gryffindor smiled with a light chuckle. "Alright, but let's just put that behind us. You aren't the same girl I thought you were, okay? Let's focus on what's happening now and what we're going to do going forward."

"Friends?" Pansy asked. 

"Friends." Hermione replied, reaching out her hand.

Pansy shook it and the two of them sat there for a moment in silence, smiling at each other. 

Something fell into place while the two girls parted ways, walking to their houses' different tables. 

Hermione felt different. This was the first time she'd really ever seen another side to Pansy. It had always been Pansy Parkinson: The Bitch of Hogwarts. Seeing something different intrigued her. She had already seen a difference in Draco, but finding something new in his sidekick was a game changer. She seemed to care quite a bit about Harry. Hermione figured if Pansy was so evil, she wouldn't have showed her what she'd seen with Blaise and Ginny. She wouldn't have thrown her own housemate under the bus in order to stop Harry from being lied to about his relationship. It made Hermione's heart swell a little bit. She really seemed a lot nicer than the girl she'd grown up to know.

With a sigh, Hermione sat down at the table next to Harry. Ginny was nowhere to be seen and she realized she probably had a pretty good idea as to where she was. Harry didn't seem too bothered at the moment, so Hermione nudged him lightly.

"Hey, Harry?" The brunette girl asked. 

Her best friend looked up. "Hmm?"

"Will you come with me to give Draco's scarf back after Potions? He lended it to me at Astronomy yesterday and I accidentally ran off with it." Hermione explained. "Plus... I don't really want to go into the snake's cave alone." She said with a light smile.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, sure. I asked Ginny if she wanted to hang out but she said she had to go to McGonagall for extra tutoring in Transfiguration. Apparently she isn't doing too well." He said with a nonchalant shrug.

He didn't have a clue.

Hermione nodded, masking how she was really feeling. First was disappointment in Ginny for actually having the nerve to cheat on Harry. Second was pity for Harry for actually having to be cheated on. "Alright. Meet me in the common room after class, I have to get it from my room."

Harry took a bite some shepherd's pie he had been eating before he hummed in agreement. After he swallowed, he looked over at her. "You know, 'Mione, I think we misjudged the Slytherins. They aren't that bad really."

She smiled softly. "Yeah, definitely. All those years of hating each other, I guess we never really realized why."

He sighed. "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I don't exactly adore Malfoy, but Pansy and that Zabini boy aren't so bad. Pansy's actually pretty nice under that tough exterior."

Hermione fiddled with her fingers. "Yeah... she definitely has a heart. Blaise too, I guess. I haven't really talked to him. They all have their stories, though."

"Honestly, I thought they were all straight up evil." Harry said, which got both of them chuckling lightly.

Suddenly, a very rough-looking Ginny Weasley came rushing over to them. Hermione couldn't even look her in the eye, instead hers were glued onto the entrance to the Great Hall. She was just waiting for Blaise to come in now, and low and behold, he entered a few moments after she did, looking equally as disheveled. She knew exactly what was going on, but she didn't feel like it was her place to reveal that information now to Harry.

"Hi guys!" Ginny greeted, slightly out of breath.

Harry smiled brightly. "Hey Gin." He replied, kissing her forehead when she sat down next to him.

Hermione nodded in a greeting, looking across to the Slytherin table. Just as expected, Pansy was looking at Ginny and Harry with a concerned look on her face. She hadn't noticed Hermione yet, but that was probably for the better.

She  _actually_ cared. After all those years, Hermione began to put the pieces together. All the "glares" Pansy had given Harry... perhaps they weren't really glares now were they? 

Pansy looked away after a few moments when Blaise came up to her and the two began talking. Hermione figured she should probably get back to Harry and Ginny before they assumed she was in some kind of world of her own. 

"So, Ginny, where were you?" Hermione asked, raising a brow. "You look like you ran into a mountain troll."

"Oh, I went by McGonagall's to er... ask her about tutoring. I ended up running here afterwards. Just some... exercise." The red-head replied, scratching her neck nervously.

Harry didn't seem to notice anything was up, so he just smiled and chuckled lightly. "Well, good job, Gin. Looks like you made it."

Hermione's heart was aching for him. He didn't deserve this at all.

-

Lunch ended shortly after and Hermione got her things. She and Harry ended up walking to their next class together and talked about all sorts of random things, mostly about Pansy and their newfound friendship. Hermione explained that she really was kind and that she might be hanging out with her more. Harry didn't seem too surprised.

Ginny had come along with them for a bit of the way but ended up leaving to get to her own classroom. It was awkward for Hermione, but no one else seemed to notice. 

Until she left.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked, tilting his head.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, um, I'm fine." She replied.

Harry huffed. "You seem kinda uneasy. Is everything okay with Ginny?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Promise?"

Hermione sucked in a breath. "Promise."

After that, the two of them walked into Professor McGonagall's classroom together.

During the entire class, she couldn't help but find herself lost in her thoughts. There were so many in her head and she couldn't find something specific to focus on. Usually, she'd immerse herself in the lesson and find millions of questions to ask, which annoyed basically everyone, but today was different. There was too much going on for her. She'd just have to ask Luna what happened afterwards since she was basically in her own world during class. It was just a lecture, so luckily she didn't really have to do anything. They ended up doing a simple spell and Hermione had done it hundreds of times before, so it was like second nature.

After class ended, it was time for Potions. Finally.

Hermione got up and grabbed her things, Harry walking over to come with her. He was smiling brightly. They were going to get this over with soon and things would go back to normal... or as normal as they could be. Before Harry and Ginny started dating, they didn't really hang out all that often anyways. It was mostly Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ginny would talk to Hermione in the common room mostly, or sometimes she'd join them at lunch or breakfast. At dinner she usually hang out with some of the other Gryffindors in her year. 

It looked like it would just be her and Harry after that... and Draco and Pansy. The two of them seemed to be finding their way into the group. Hermione hated to admit it but... she really didn't mind. In fact, she realized she liked having them around.

The Slytherins were cool. A lot cooler than she thought they would've been.

Draco was incredibly smart. Like he'd said, she was his competition for grades. There were hundreds of interesting conversations laying in the future if they became closer. 

Pansy was caring. She didn't want to see any of her friends get hurt, and she had a heart deep down. She wanted what was best for them, even if it meant uncovering an ugly truth. She wasn't just a pretty face. Underneath that bitchy mask was a fierce girl who just wanted to protect her loved ones.

Blaise was actually very funny. He had a great sense of humor and always seemed to find some reason to smile and make everyone else around him smile as well. 

They were all so misunderstood. 

Then there were some people who Hermione just couldn't figure out...

Theodore Nott was so quiet. He never really seemed to show much emotion at all. He wasn't as cold as Draco could be, but at least Hermione knew that the blonde wasn't all ice. 

Daphne Greengrass wasn't the smartest. She was barely getting by in most of her classes, but still, she had too much pride to reach out and ask for help. She probably wasn't as bad as Hermione had thought she was. Perhaps it was another case like Pansy, just a simple misjudgement. 

Then there was Astoria Greengrass. Daphne's little sister. 

She was a total bitch.

Hermione avoided her for the most part. They'd had a few unfortunate run-ins throughout the years. According to Ginny, every time she'd talked to the younger Slytherin, it'd gone horribly wrong. She seemed to have her nose stuck up all the time. 

She made Pansy look like a saint.

Astoria basically wanted to be Pansy, though. If Pansy showed up one day wearing a headband, Astoria would be wearing one the next day or as soon as possible. She seemed to barely have her own identity. Sure, she was considered popular in her year, but she was nothing compared to Draco and Pansy. Those two were on top of the school. Astoria Greengrass was easily forgotten by everyone who wasn't in her year or anyone she talked to on a regular basis. 

Hermione felt bad for her.

She felt bad for the girl who had only ever been rude towards her. 

She felt bad for the girl who called her a blood traitor because she was seen tutoring one of the younger Gryffindors, a muggleborn named Colin Creevey, in the library.

She felt bad for the girl who was dating the most powerful wizard in their generation.

Hermione snapped back into reality. Astoria was a bitch, absolutely, but there was no way she didn't have a heart. If there was one thing she'd learned from this entire experience, it was that everyone had their own story. Maybe Astoria's was just twisted.

She and Harry walked down to Slughorn's classroom together, talking about how their potions were doing. Apparently, Harry and Parvati had to start over because they'd accidentally added the ingredients in the wrong order. Hermione just laughed and told him hers was going well.

As they walked in, Hermione immediately noticed that Draco wasn't there yet. Her eyes usually fell on that shock of white-blonde hair in the room, but there was just his empty space. They were considerably early anyways, she wasn't too concerned.

She pulled out both of their cauldrons while Harry went over to his spot and started talking to Pansy, sitting behind him. 

Hermione smiled softly. She could picture them together, definitely.

Taking the cover off of her potion, she could see some differences, which meant it was going well. Just two more days until she was finished with this project. She quietly put her cauldron back under the cabinet and waited for Draco to show up so she could have some kind of company. 

As the minutes ticked on, everyone else was working on their potions while Hermione was just sitting there. She pulled out a book and began flipping through the pages, trying to find some form of entertainment. Since she had finished her part of the potion, there was no point in waiting around for the rest of the class. 

She tried to get immersed in the story like she usually could, but something felt off.

Draco was very late at this point, he was almost always right on time.

Hermione looked up and that's when she saw him. 

He came into the room looking like he'd just sprinted across the entire country with a smirk plastered on his face. 

"Mr. Malfoy, thank you for finally joining us." Slughorn said with an interesting glance. Draco just nodded at him and made his way to the back of the classroom, earning a look from Pansy.

The raven-haired Slytherin girl met the gaze of Hermione. Both of them were equally as confused to what was going on.

Draco got out his cauldron and quickly did his daily part, nearly doing eight turns before Hermione stopped him. He was the one to get it right, always. Usually he had to correct her if she was doing any part wrong. Something was up.

Hermione was confused. "Why didn't Slughorn just hex you for being twenty minutes late?"

The blonde smirked. "Didn't you pay attention? He said the students who only had a few things to do for their potions could go to the library and study during class. At least that's what he told me."

Hermione frowned. "He never told me that..."

Draco shrugged. "Oh well."

"Something tells me you weren't in the library..." She muttered.

He smirked. "Nah, the broom closet down the hall actually. Astoria stopped me earlier and said she wanted to try something, I never thought she was going to go that far." He said in such a casual manner that Hermione almost thought he was joking.

That's when she remembered who he was. 

Draco Malfoy was a player.

He slept around.

Girls fell over themselves for a chance with him. 

Parts of him were still the same as she knew growing up. He wasn't a completely different person from what she'd seen after all. 

Hermione knew this was exactly like Draco. It wasn't a surprise. 

So why did she feel a lump in her throat? It wasn't like she had... feelings for him. 

No.

No, no, no.

Hermione Granger did  _not_ have feelings for Draco Malfoy.

Everything they'd done was to make Ron jealous.

He was with Astoria.

In a few weeks he'd probably end it with her and get with some stunning girl who was probably a fucking veela and that would be the end of it.

Sooner or later they wouldn't even talk. 

She'd become a distant memory in his mind. 

Like nothing ever happened.

Maybe things would go back to the way they were.

The two of them would be rivals.

He'd bully her and Harry. 

But there was no way she had feelings for him. No fucking way.

-

"Hermione?" 

His voice startled her. Looking up from where she'd been staring off into space, she saw Draco gazing right back at her. "You just kind of floated off..."

She murmured something in return, not really bothering to form words. She didn't know what to say.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. His tone was quiet, gentle even.

Hermione just shrugged. "I don't understand how you can do that."

Draco was confused. "Do what?"

"Jump from girl to girl so quickly." She began. "Do you even know some of them personally?"

He sighed. "I didn't know all of them well. I just... I've never really been able to connect with anyone before."

"Then why are you with Astoria? Yesterday you were talking about how unhappy you were and now you're off fucking her in a broom closet." Hermione scoffed.

The blonde swallowed the lump in his own throat. "That's because I'm trying to connect with her so I don't have to hurt her."

"What do you two even have in common?" She said.

Draco looked away. "Similar family problems." He replied quietly.

The rest of the class was spent in silence. After a few moments of sitting there, Hermione asked Slughorn if she could go to the library and was a bit surprised when he said yes. She just left Draco behind in the classroom and walked a bit down the hallway before stopping. Her legs didn't want to move. She felt weak. It wasn't something she'd felt many times before, but it was intense. 

She felt numb. She felt angry. 

Hermione ripped herself away from her thoughts and walked towards the library before eventually stopping again and just sitting down on the floor, her jaw clenched. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she sat there, alone, for what felt like hours.

A gentle voice stirred her out of her trance.

"Um... Granger?" Someone said.

She felt a warm, large hand on her shoulder. A comforting hand.

Opening her eyes, she saw none other than Theodore Nott.

"Theodore... can I help you?" She said wearily.

He shook his head, sitting down beside her. "Theo." He corrected with a light nod.

"I'll make you a deal. Call me Hermione and I'll call you Theo." The Gryffindor said.

Theo nodded and looked over at her. "Okay."

She reached out her hand and he took it, shaking it lightly with a small smile.

"You don't look so good." He said softly.

"Ouch." Hermione replied with a dull chuckle. 

Theo bit his lip. "Oh, Merlin, I didn't mean it like that. Shit. I just meant you look kinda down."

She giggled lightly. "It's fine. I'm just... lost, I guess."

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah... that'd be nice." Hermione sighed. "There was a guy. He was smart, clever, funny, incredibly handsome. Everything I could want in a guy, basically. I always thought of him as this evil cockroach of a boy but I never really got to know him. We started to get closer, I realized he wasn't as bad as I thought. We had some moments where it didn't exactly feel friendly... I guess I got my hopes up. He proved today that he wasn't as different as I thought he was." 

Theo nodded. "Damn." He said quietly, but she could basically see the gears turning in his mind. "Love sucks."

She chuckled. "Definitely."

He sighed lightly, biting his lip. Hermione noted it must've been a habit of his. Perhaps when he was nervous, or maybe just something he did a lot. 

"You know, I grew up thinking I was going to meet a wonderful girl when I was older and bring her home to meet my parents and we'd end up getting married." He began. She looked over at him, meeting a light green gaze. "That was shattered a while ago. I'm engaged. Good news is, she isn't hideous. Bad news, I don't exactly love her. I mean, I've known her basically all my life, but I didn't actually get to know her. Like her personality and stuff. Her family drama is insane though. It sucks because I don't ever get to have a normal relationship. Her batshit crazy mother is already planning the wedding right after graduation." He said, scoffing at the end.

"Damn... love sucks." Hermione replied. 

He smiled. "Definitely."

Suddenly, people began to enter the hallways. Hermione realized class must've just ended. Theo stood up and offered his hand to her and she took it, standing up as well. "Hey, Hermione?" He asked.

She had just begun to turn around to walk away, but turned back slightly. "Hmm?"

"Thank you. For talking, I mean. I know we haven't really talked before, but Pansy told me you were really good to talk to... I guess I'm just trying to say I really appreciate it." Theo said. 

Hermione smiled. "Hey, anytime. It's not like you bullied me relentlessly growing up anyways."

It was true. Of all the Slytherins who had teased her, Theo wasn't one of them. He was one of the good ones. Better than she thought, apparently. 

"I'll see you around, Hermione." He said softly as the two of them parted ways.

Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor Tower. She had to get that stupid fucking scarf to give to Draco. She really didn't want to, if it was up to her she'd just give it to Pansy and tell her to give it to Draco, but she had to have an excuse to make this plan work. She was doing it for Harry at this point. She silently prayed she wouldn't run into Draco.

Once she got up to her dorm, she picked up the scarf and sighed, holding it in her hands for a moment. It was soft, made of cashmere undoubtedly. 

She scoffed lightly.  _Only the best for a Malfoy._

Grabbing the scarf, Hermione walked down and out of her dorm, back to the common room. Harry was sitting on the couch waiting for her. He smiled softly.

"Hey, 'Mione, ready to go?" He asked.

She nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

-

The walk down to the dungeons was quiet. Hermione felt her pulse increasing, her heartbeat screaming in her ears. She could only hope that things went smoothly from here. 

"I think he said to drop it off in the broom closet and um... he'll come get it later." She lied quickly. 

Harry nodded. "Oh, okay."

The two of them walked over to the door and Hermione opened it, scarf in hand.

Sure enough, there were Blaise and Ginny. Blaise's shirt was long forgotten and Hermione realized why so many girls were attracted to him but Ginny was still fully clothed. She thanked Merlin for that. She almost forgot why they were there before she looked over at Harry, who's jaw was clenched so hard she thought he might actually do some damage to his teeth. 

"Harry, I can explain!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all over the place because I'm honestly a mess. Anyways, happy belated birthday to DevanyShanéa!


	10. Important, Please Read

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 of Potions goes horribly wrong (or doesn't even go at all) because Arizona is a mess.

Hi friends! I'll be deleting this by the time the next chapter comes around, but I just wanted to let my readers know that there's going to be a delay. I was already a bit late on finishing this chapter just because I've been having a lot of personal issues these days and some problems that writing can't fix. Usually, I turn to writing in times of stress because it helps me a lot, but then sometimes even writing gets stressful, which is why I don't have a specific update schedule.

So, that being said, this morning I was so proud to finally finish this chapter because it took me damn near way too long. It ended up being longer than any of my other chapters before and gives a lot of insight as to how this story is going to keep going (trust me when I say this one is a slow burn) and also showcased a lot of the background characters, their stories, and their individual personalities. I edited and read over it multiple times but wanted to check just one more time before posting.

I take school line, and this morning I was having issues with internet connectivity, pretty standard. (Note: this story is really stupid and you may lose a few brain cells while reading it. I'm well aware I should've saved the chapter to my computer, but just wait.) So, I called in my technologically-challenged father to help me out. Bad move.

I had the AO3 tab pulled up and then my school website on another tab, clear as day, and he's desperately trying to refresh the page. I look away for ten seconds to try and reset the router and when I come back, lo and behold, he's refreshed the AO3 tab.

I'm freaking out because all of my writing is there, but you know, at least the internet started working, so I guess the silver lining ended up being that I didn't miss class. 

So now I'm left with a blank screen and a tragic loss of this glorious mess of a chapter.

I'll be rewriting it but it probably won't be as good as I did the first time since I really have to... well,  _remember_ everything that I wrote the first time. Hopefully I make sure to cover everything I originally wanted to.

It might take a few days or maybe even another week to rewrite this, so I wanted to let anyone who might be waiting know that just in case you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth briefly.

I've also decided to talk a little bit about what's to come for this fic in terms of Dramione/Parry. 

Pansy and Harry are going to get together very quickly. That's a definite.

Draco and Hermione? That's going to be a very, very slow burn. I have a lot in store for these two and it's going to be a lot of ups and downs. I'm not going to give away too much, but if you want the  _real_ good Dramione, you're going to have to wait a while, just because yours truly enjoys a good build-up. This is definitely going to be a very, very long story so I hope y'all are in for it!

When I started this fic, I didn't really have a plan for where I wanted it to go. Obviously I knew endgame and all but I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted it to get there, but I've figured it out now and I'm pretty satisfied with it, so that being said, look for an upcoming update within the next few days or so and yeah!

Thank you all so much for reading and before I go, I just wanted to say oh my god. Thank you so much for all the kind comments and kudos! It's really motivating to see that other people enjoy this fic and it really brings me joy. 

So, thank you to Dustycelt, goldenparadise, really_pretty_snake_2003, Trhf0921, BamaGirl88, alice_ayres, esha0298, Shiba_Nana, QuinnMontgomery, Pookypunk, ajense08, Isamaleny, CHW13, rr13, NicoleLovely, lexybexy, madaboutmanythings, BamBamDallas, Fanaticficreader, dolce08, Etherhial, Shadow_Renta, Arhard05, abluerose, Blu3is, mrl_3994, Ariazu, Thymother, ZachBelaerys, london_calling221, psiphifan, rkgrl32, crisscolfer_12, Musicofthesoprano, Waterprincess17, ruroeroori, esalas, elle150, Carmina3367, Alonia143, Lunavert, and Fairymadoschias as well as the 91 guests that left kudos! I'm so grateful for each and every one of you and thank you so much!

That being said, I hope you guys enjoy where this story goes. All I can tell you is be patient in the Dramione, it'll come eventually!

Xoxo,

arizonasnow


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